Letter to Governor re NC energy issues--Important!

These are the signers:

· Appalachian Voices · Canary Coalition · Carolinas Clean Air Coalition · Clean Air Community Trust · North Carolina Council of Churches · Conservation Council of North Carolina · Environmental Defense · Environment North Carolina · National Parks Conservation Association · North Carolina Conservation Network · North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association · North Carolina Waste Awareness Reduction Network · SouthWings · Southern Alliance for Clean Energy · Southern Environmental Law Center · Western North Carolina Alliance ·

August 8, 2006
Governor Michael F. Easley
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service CenterRaleigh, NC 27699-0301

Dear Governor Easley;

On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we are writing to encourage the exploration and deployment of innovative measures to meet our state’s growing energy needs. North Carolina has enormous unrealized economic development potential in improving our energy efficiency and using our in-state renewable energy resources. Knowing this, we do not accept that economic growth in North Carolina must be fueled solely by polluting power plants and a continuation of the status quo, but instead we envision a future where energy efficiency and renewable energy are the cornerstones upon which North Carolina builds its 21st century economy. From the passage of the Clean Smokestacks Act to the creation of the Global Warming Commission, North Carolina has consistently showed the Southeast region, and the nation, that it is a leader in finding innovative and mutually beneficial solutions to our national and now global challenges.

It is time for North Carolina to lead the Southeast away from the dirty, inefficient energy practices of the past toward the clean energy future taking shape throughout the country. One important aspect of a clean energy future is energy efficiency which simply means finding ways to use less energy to get the services we expect from the electrical devices we use every day.

The financial benefits of energy efficiency are clear: a researcher at Appalachian State University calculates that energy efficiency programs in North Carolina could save $3 billion per year and support over 150,000 jobs at an annual salary of $42,000. These programs help consumers save money by reducing the amount of electricity they buy while simultaneously preventing the rise in rates commonly associated with rising fuels costs and the capital expenditures of power plant construction. These programs save the utility companies money because it costs more than 4 cents per kilowatt hour to create electricity in a coal or nuclear plant but only 3 cents per kilowatt hour to finance energy efficiency programs.

Despite a growing interest among businesses and residents in energy efficiency, none of the state’s utilities fully utilize their energy efficiency capabilities and the State Energy Office is nearly out of funds for the Energy Management Program which provides energy education and technical support to large industrial, commercial and government entities. Research indicates that in 2003, all southeastern states spent below the national average of $4.65 per person on energy efficiency, with North Carolina spending only 44 cents per person. Clearly there is immense potential for improvement in energy efficiency. In fact, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently reported that more than 20% of North Carolina’s energy consumption could be eliminated with cost-effective energy efficiency programs.

Renewable energy is another important component of a clean energy future that North Carolina is particularly well suited to exploit. Renewable sources, such as wind, solar, and methane from landfills and animal-waste, are readily available in large quantities throughout the state. The technology to utilize these resources already exists and, in some cases, is in use in North Carolina. Investing in these technologies, rather than more coal and nuclear plants, will not only help to improve human health and the environment, but will also strengthen the state’s economy.

Currently the North Carolina economy is highly susceptible to market fluctuation in the price and supply of coal and uranium since more than 95% of our electricity generation relies on these two fuels. Pursuing renewable energy will diversify the states generation portfolio while supporting local businesses so that we need not send $10 billion out of state each year to purchase coal, uranium and other fuels that are not available within our borders.

Despite these clean, safe and sustainable energy alternatives, for the first time in 20 years Duke Energy is proposing to build two new 800-megawatt coal-fired units at its Cliffside power plant in Rutherford County. We have grave concerns about this proposal, as well as other new conventional coal and nuclear plant proposals that loom on the horizon, because any new power plant would have an operational life that extends for decades. Building new conventional coal plants now could place a significant economic burden on the electric utility companies and ratepayers of North Carolina in the near future as our nation more seriously addresses the problem of excessive carbon dioxide emissions contributing to global warming and possibly requires control of this pollutant.

Quite recently, the CEOs of both Progress Energy and Duke Energy stated that carbon regulation will one day be a reality, and building more conventional coal and nuclear instead of first diversifying our electric generation portfolio exposes us to even greater carbon risk. Global warming is an issue that North Carolina is already addressing with the Legislative Global Climate Change Commission and we need consistent approaches to our energy needs with these initiatives.

Although their proponents tout nuclear power plants as a pollution-free alternative to fossil-fueled power plants, nuclear plants are actually responsible for extensive fossil fuel usage. Due to the large fossil fuel consumption in the construction, decommissioning and the multi-faceted, energy-intensive fuel cycle, nuclear is far from an emission-free energy source. Expanding nuclear power also raises very serious questions of safety (especially in this age of terrorism), waste storage and nuclear proliferation. Moreover, expansion of nuclear power requires enormous expenditures which would have much quicker and surer results for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and job creation if invested aggressively in energy efficiency and renewable energy. In addition, there are negative environmental impacts and global warming pollutants associated with coal mining and coal-fired power plants.

It is also well established that these power plants pose a serious public health threat to North Carolina citizens. They are a major source of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, precursors to ozone and fine particle pollution, which contribute to asthma attacks, other respiratory illnesses, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and premature deaths.

Conventional coal plants are also heavy emitters of toxic mercury pollution, accounting for more than 70 percent of in-state emissions. Fetuses, infants and children are especially vulnerable to the serious health effects of mercury, including lowered intelligence and developmental disabilities.

Fortunately, we need not rush to build more power plants but can first maximize sustainable energy choices that will allow us to meet the state’s energy demand while improving North Carolinians’ standard of living.

To be clear, investing in sustainable energy technologies and efficiency, rather than more conventional coal and nuclear plants, will not only strengthen the state's economy, but will also help to improve human health and the environment. We believe that North Carolina’s energy growth can be met first with energy efficiency measures and renewable energy sources if we create the right political structure in which these initiatives can thrive and become profitable.

Let’s live up to our reputation as leaders and create ‘out-of-the-box’, innovative ways to solve our energy needs – safely, responsibly, and sustainably for the future of our children.

Sincerely,
Mary Anne Hitt, Executive Director Appalachian Voices Boone, NC
Avram Friedman, Executive DirectorCanary Coalition Sylva, NC
June Blotnick, Executive Director Carolinas Clean Air Coalition Charlotte, NC
Margie Meares, Executive Director Clean Air Community Trust Asheville, NC
Alice Loyd, Director Climate Connection of NC Council of Churches, Interfaith Power & Light Raleigh, NC
John Runkle, General Council North Carolina Conservation Council Raleigh, NC
Michael Shore, Senior Air Policy Analyst Environmental Defense Raleigh, NC
Elizabeth Ouzts, State Director Environment North Carolina Raleigh, NC
Greg Kidd, Senior Program Manager Blue Ridge Field Office National Parks Conservation Association Asheville, NC
Brian Buzby, Executive Director North Carolina Conservation Network Raleigh, NC
Ivan Urlaub, Policy and Executive Director North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association Raleigh, NC
Jim Warren, Executive Director N. C. Waste Awareness Reduction Network Durham, NC
Taylor Barnhill, Executive Director SouthWings Asheville, NC
Ulla Reeves, Regional Program Director Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Asheville, NC
Marily Nixon, Senior Attorney Southern Environmental Law Center Chapel Hill, NC
Jody Flemming, Director Western North Carolina Alliance Asheville, NC

cc: Franklin Freeman Secretary William B. Ross, Jr.
North Carolina Utilities Commission Members: Chairman JoAnne Sanford, Commissioner Robert V. Owens, Jr., Commissioner Sam J. Ervin, IV, Commissioner Lorinzo Little Joyner, Commissioner James Yancey Kerr, II, Commissioner Howard N. Lee, Commissioner William Thomas Culpepper, II