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February 12, 2003 Public Power Pledges Support For Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions; The nation's more than 2,000 public power systems serve approximately 40 million Americans. Overall, they account for about 14 percent of all kilowatt-hour electricity sales, and nearly 13 percent of total electricity generation. Public power's average carbon dioxide (CO2) emission per kilowatt-hour rate is almost 15 percent lower than the national average, due to public power's greater use of hydroelectricity and newer sources for power generation. To date, utilities representing nearly 63 percent of public power's total generation, or 8 percent of all electric utility generation nationwide, have expressed an intention to participate in the GHG reduction effort. "Public power systems are owned and regulated by local communities so they are already responsive to citizen desires for clean air and water," said Alan H. Richardson, president & CEO, American Public Power Association. "However, more can and should be done, and they will intensify their efforts in order to help meet their fair share of national goals." APPA is the national organization serving public power systems. "Community by community, we will be working with local citizens, city policy bodies, and others to develop practical, achievable, effective, and quantifiable mitigation strategies," said Herman Morris, Jr., president & CEO, Memphis, Tenn., Light, Gas & Water, representing the Large Public Power Council, an organization of the 26 largest public power systems. "Each community will decide the best way to meet its goals through a variety of strategies." Public power systems will be encouraged to forge partnerships with local/federal government and environmental groups; enter into utility-specific commitments; increase use of wind, hydropower, and landfill gas to generate electricity; improve end-use efficiency through demand-side management and conservation; and reduce, avoid, or sequester emissions through Tree Power, APPA's national tree planting program established in 1991. Additionally, public power systems will work together with other power sector groups through the Electric Power Industry Climate Initiative to pursue voluntary climate actions to reduce carbon intensity while sustaining economic growth. The groups have formed "Power Partners," a series of voluntary GHG emissions reduction initiatives and programs available to utilities industry-wide. Public power systems encouraged the Administration and U.S. Congress to make policy changes in support of their greenhouse gas emissions reductions efforts, including:
### A January 17 letter detailing public power's action plan is posted in APPA's newsroom at: http://www.appanet.org/pressroom/index.cfm?ItemNumber=12425&navItemNumber=21048.
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