Mehaffie, a two-term member of the House of Representatives, pitched his plan as the best way to rein in future electricity costs for consumers. He argued that without his legislation, the power plants would close and Pennsylvanians would pay even more than the bailout.
“The cost of doing nothing is $4.6 billion [a year],” Mehaffie said. “$788 million annually in higher electric electricity costs to the consumers, whereas the cost of this bill is about $500 million. That is an eight-to-one benefit-to-cost ratio. I see this situation as a win-win.”