Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential a coalition of environmental groups have united to oppose a state effort to subsidize three upstate nuclear power plants. The state Public Service Commission voted in August to approve a rate increase for the power generated by the upstate plants to pay for the subsidies. Since then, a group of downstate lawmakers have called for the PSC to reconsider that action, noting that the majority of the costs to keep the plants on line will be borne by downstate rate-payers. Speaking Wed., Oct. 5, members of the coalition claimed that residential consumers will be on the hook for an estimated $2.3 billion over the 12-year life of the plan. Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group said keeping the plants in operation was like “subsidizing the horse-and-buggy industry while Henry Ford is rolling cars off the Assembly line.” The coalition plans to mount a grassroots effort to kill the subsidies similar to the way that hydrofracking was blocked. Read the full story in the Times Union.