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Contacts:
Tracy Warren, NRECA
703-907-5746
Mobile: 703-517-3411
Eric Young, NRDC
202-289-2373 - Office
703-217-6814 - Cell
Arlington, Virginia, June 3, 2008 – The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) today announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding outlining an array of joint programs that aim to improve energy efficiency in America.
The MOU marks the beginning of a unique collaboration between the utility network responsible for providing power to 42 million people and one of the country’s most established environmental advocacy organizations.
“To achieve meaningful reductions in energy demand, we need to change the paradigm of finding supply-side solutions to every energy problem,” said Glenn English, CEO of NRECA. “NRECA believes that bringing together diverse perspectives of our organizations could help break through the logjam of conventional thinking and practice.”
“Energy efficiency is the cheapest, quickest and cleanest resource we can develop,” said Jim Presswood, energy advocate, Natural Resources Defense Council. “We are looking forward to working with the rural cooperatives represented by NRECA on deploying energy efficient technologies, which will save consumers and businesses money on their energy bills and reduce global warming pollution.”
Drawing on the resources of the nation’s network of electric cooperatives, the agreement sets forth specific objectives for strengthening the nation’s energy-efficiency infrastructure, including the following:
- expanding the involvement of NRECA and its members in regional and national energy efficiency alliances;
- creating an energy efficiency center within NRECA to help members pool resources and learn about best practices within the electric cooperative community; and
- supporting the establishment and expansion of academic centers on energy efficiency at colleges and universities nationwide, to help accelerate technology innovation, improve program design and train efficiency experts.
In addition, the two organizations will combine their expertise to define achievable energy efficiency policy goals. NRECA and the NRDC will work to
- identify cost-effective improvements in minimum efficiency standards for buildings and equipment; and
- coauthor a joint review of rate-setting strategies for ensuring that large-scale, cost-effective energy efficiency improvements will advance the financial interests of both electric cooperatives and their consumer members.
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