Doug Johnson, Chief Executive Officer,
Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation
I’m pleased to partner with the Jefferson Post by sharing a series of guest editorials to help our members, and your readers, better understand America’s quest to affect global climate change through greater use of renewable energy resources and energy efficiency. Through this series of articles, I hope to initiate an open dialogue with our members about Blue Ridge Electric’s approach to finding a reasonable balance between reducing our carbon footprint and the cost impact on our consumers’ electric bills.
All across America, in Washington and in Raleigh, our elected officials are either studying or passing legislation to address global climate change brought about by greenhouse gases. Many states, including North Carolina, have passed legislative mandates that require electric utilities to incorporate greater use of renewable energy resources (wind, solar, biomass, etc.) and energy efficiency in their generation resource plans.
Currently about 40% of man-made greenhouse gases come from electric power generation and a similar amount comes from transportation. For this reason, these two areas are receiving the greatest amount of attention in global warming legislation. The movement to include more renewable energy in the electric generation fuel mix is the most preferred way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it must be balanced with a consumer cost impact perspective and with electric system reliability concerns.
A good example of renewable energy policy having an adverse cost affect on consumers is the state energy policy undertaken by the state of California. Policy makers in that state have not allowed construction of traditional electric generation facilities, such as coal and nuclear, and instead have embraced wind, solar, and energy conservation. The result for that state’s consumers has been electricity bills more than doubling over the past five years.
Nonetheless we understand that our response to the global climate change issue must include taking a leadership position with our consumers to help reduce our carbon footprint.
As a member-owned electric cooperative, we have the responsibility of ensuring that electricity is delivered to our members in a highly reliable manner and at the most affordable price possible. We also must do our part to encourage our consumers to be good environmental stewards by embracing reasonable policies that affect the global climate. With this in mind you can expect our strategy for global climate change to include five primary goals: highly reliable power, reasonable cost that consumers can afford, concern for the environment, aligned with Duke Energy’s generation plan, and compliant with the new North Carolina Renewable Energy law.
Developing an appropriate strategy for Blue Ridge Electric for renewable energy and energy efficiency demands a lot of thought and diligence. It is challenging and complex to meet all five of our primary goals in a manner that has a meaningful impact on the environment.
Because there are multiple issues regarding how we as a nation—as well as an individual utility—move toward an effective renewable energy strategy, I will address a key issue in each monthly editorial. Many of the issues are just now evolving, and there’s much work yet to be done that will affect the success of this effort: research and development of technology, state regulatory policy, federal legislation, understanding Duke Energy’s renewable strategy, and receiving input from our membership.
I hope to engage our members and the readers of the Jefferson Post in a dialogue on these important topics. We want to know your thoughts, questions, or comments on the issues. It is important for us to know your viewpoint because Blue Ridge Electric is a member-owned electric cooperative. But it’s also important to hear your voice because the directions and actions we take will affect you and the cost of electricity for many years to come.
My commitment to you as we begin addressing key issues on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and power supply in general through these columns is that I will always talk honestly about the issues. I will strive to inform you in a candid and forthright manner about differing views on controversial issues including the view I believe is best for our cooperative and for our members. I also promise to listen to our members’ views on the issues as well.
Most of all, Blue Ridge Electric promises to keep the cooperative commitment of having your best interests as the guiding force in all that we do. Our most important goals are to keep the power flowing to our communities at the most reasonable cost possible, while also protecting our environment, and to be a part of the community in a way that creates a better future for our members.
Next month I will share information about the Renewable Energy Bill recently passed by the North Carolina General Assembly and what we believe it will mean for Blue Ridge, our members, and our state.
