Electric Co-ops and Climate Change: Bridging the Technology Gap
Even as consensus solidifies around the need to reduce greenhouse gases, America’s need for electric power is growing. America’s electric cooperatives need to build more baseload electric power plant capacity.
Congress and states must now resolve hard issues: How do we reduce greenhouse gases? At what cost? In what time frame? Using what techologies?
Where NRECA stands
As cost-effective technology is not currently commercially available to capture and store CO2 produced by coal-based power plants, NRECA believes that any realistic policy must include a substantial, prolonged research and development program.
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has identified seven critical areas for research and development in the electric power sector:
- renewable energy
- energy efficiency
- nuclear power
- advanced clean coal generation
- carbon capture and sequestration
- distributed energy
- plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Climate change is a global issue: American policy must encourage equal international efforts by all major emitting nations.
News:
-
NRECA Praises New Legislation Providing a “Time-Out” on Clean Air Act Regulation of Greenhouse Gases
March 4, 2010 -- NRECA CEO English praises efforts of Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) and Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA) on proposed Clean Air Act legislation. more >>
-
Glenn English Blasts Excessive Partisanship on Energy Issues
February 16, 2010 -- NRECA CEO urges co-op unity to prevent the EPA from using the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases from stationary sources. more >>
-
NRECA CEO Glenn English Disappointed by EPA Endangerment Finding
December 7, 2009 - Clean Air Act provisions are “simply not workable” as a tool for addressing climate change. more >>
Related Resources On NRECA.coop:
Electric Cooperatives: Meeting the Challenges of a Carbon-Constrained Future (PDF)
Documents: