Way OT:
Americans for Balanced Energy Choices Provides Comment on Governors' Natural Gas Summit
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) today issued the following comment regarding the Governors' Natural Gas Summit in Columbus, Ohio.
"ABEC shares the governors' concerns about rising prices for natural gas, home heating oil and other energy resources, and we salute the commitment of these leaders from across the nation who have gathered in Columbus to discuss the issue of meeting America's growing demand for energy while protecting the environment. We support the governors' goal of promoting a public dialogue that discusses the development of a balanced national energy policy. We believe that any public policy discussions of this nature must include all domestic energy resources -- including electricity from coal -- if America is to meet the increased demand for energy and keep prices low.
Creation of a balanced national energy policy requires an understanding of some of the fundamental truths about coal-based electricity. Coal is:
Essential - Electricity has enriched the quality of life in America.
Nationally, more than half of our power (56 percent) comes from coal,
while in Ohio, 88 percent of the electricity consumed comes from coal.
There are enough domestic coal reserves to last the next 250 years at
current usage rates.
Affordable - Electricity from coal brings value to consumers because it
provides power at about half the cost of other fossil fuels and is less
costly and more reliable than intermittent power sources such as solar
energy or wind. Electricity from coal is a major reason Ohioans pay about
5 percent less for electricity than consumers nationwide pay.
Increasingly Clean - Thanks to more than $50 billion invested in new
technology, we have experienced dramatic improvements in our air quality
1970, while the use of coal for generating electricity has nearly tripled
in that time. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency projects
that emissions of criteria air pollutants in the coal-based electricity I
industry will be a full 33 percent less in 2000 than they were in 1970,
even with the increased usage. That is nearly a 70 percent improvement in
the environmental efficiency across the industry over the past 30 years.
The governors' concerns related to a looming energy crisis are well- placed. Today's headlines provide a clear picture that America's lack of a balanced national energy policy can affect the American economy and the American way of life. The more than 12,000 community leaders nationwide who participate in ABEC look forward to working with the governors and other decision makers as we support an ongoing dialogue that ensures a reliable and affordable supply of electricity while promoting an improved environment."
ABEC is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization comprised of community leaders nationwide working to stimulate discussion in the U.S. and in Ohio of the need for a balanced national energy policy.
SOURCE Americans for Balanced Energy Choices
CO: Americans for Balanced Energy Choices
ST: Ohio
IN: UTI
SU:
09/20/2000 09:52 EDT prnewswire.com |
