Edison Electric Institute Unveils New Principles on Global Climate Change Policy
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) released a set of principles to help guide its engagement in the widening public debate over U.S. policy to address climate change.
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) released a set of principles to help guide its engagement in the widening public debate over U.S. policy to address climate change.
There are three components that would be critical to any federal action or legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to EEI:
- Ensuring the development and cost-effective deployment of a full suite of "climate-friendly" technologies;
- Minimizing economic disruption to customers and avoiding harm to the competitiveness of U.S. industry; and,
- Ensuring an economy-wide approach to carbon reductions.
"No matter what path America chooses to address greenhouse gases, success will require an aggressive and sustained commitment by the industry and policymakers to the development and deployment of a full suite of technology options,” says Tom Kuhn, president, EEI. Some of these options are currently available-although at a higher cost than conventional generation sources-but others are not.
Needed technology options include energy efficiency; demand-side management and renewable energy sources; increasing nuclear capacity; advanced clean coal technologies and carbon capture and storage; and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
"Since 1994, when EEI joined the U.S. Department of Energy in the Climate Challenge, the electric utility sector has accounted for more than two-thirds of all the greenhouse gas reductions achieved under the program," says Kuhn. "Looking forward, the principles we're releasing today are designed to help us build on that progress in a way that allows us to maintain an affordable and reliable supply of electricity."
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