|
|
 |
 |
| |
The Power Scorecard Campaign
Shannon Carson
Pennsylvanians now have the ability to choose who provides their electricity,
but how many know where to go to view their options and choose which
one suits them best? To do your energy homework, visit the Power
Scorecard, a website that reveals facts about the financial and
environmental impacts of energy sources, from traditional ones like
coal to lesser-known sources like biomass.
It all started several years ago when the Pace Law School Energy Project began research on how various energy providers differ from one another. Sam Swanson, the Power Scorecard Director at the Energy Project, says, "Pace has been working for many years on environmental costs of electricity production, on both a quantitative and qualitative level."
With other research and activist organizations like the Union for Concerned Scientists and the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Project held meetings to address the lack of energy standards.
Lack of energy standards caused two problems. First, companies had no incentive to operate in a more environmentally friendly way. In fact, even today 98% of the electricity produced in the United States comes from non-renewable resources like oil and coal. The second problem caused by a lack of energy standards was that some companies that called themselves "green" were indeed far from it.
The Energy Project gathered information from three sources: the annual
electricity generation supply report; information disclosed by companies;
and the EPA's
Egrid database, which anyone can request a free copy of.
However, the committee of Energy Project members and those from other
research organizations could not settle on one set of criteria. Their
solution was to create a "scorecard" that extended the Center for
Resource Solutions' Green-E certification program (accessible online
at www.green-e.org)
On the basis of an energy provider's eight environmental impacts—climate
change, acid rain, ozone/smog, air toxics, water use, water quality,
onsite land impacts, and offsite land impacts—they rated providers
from excellent to unacceptable.
An energy source that does well on one level may not do well on another. One example is nuclear power, which on the one hand contributes less to climate change than fossil fuel sources because it does not release greenhouse gases like nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, or sulfur dioxide. However, nuclear energy has an even more significant impact on aquatic life. According to the Pace Law School Energy Project's website, "Nuclear plants that rely upon water for once-through cooling systems require two-and-a-half times as much water as fossil fuel plants. The impact on water resources, aquatic habitats, and fish is therefore more significant with nuclear power plants than any other power generation technology (with the possible exception of hydroelectric facilities themselves)."
Clean Air Council, an organization that ensures the protection of everyone's right to clean air, has been using the Power Scorecard to educate the public about the electricity industry. Clean Air has made over 300 presentations on sources of electricity at churches, senior citizen centers, libraries, and citizen groups.
Clean Air also works intimately with townships to help them reconsider their energy choices. Tim Kelly, Outreach Coordinator at Clean Air, says, "The Scorecard is at every talk. It's an essential tool for making energy choice understandable and easy."
At his talks, Evan Pappas, Program Manager at Clean Air Council, emphasizes the choice that all Pennsylvania residents have among energy providers. Since the Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act was fully implemented in Pennsylvania (full implementation was on January 1, 2000), every resident has had the option to choose the company that supplies his or her electricity. Because transmission and distribution are still handled by regional distribution companies, Clean Air emphasizes that consumer choice lies in energy generation.
This choice gives residents the opportunity to become familiar with the advantages and drawbacks of a diversity of energy sources. The purpose of the Power Scorecard is to address our responsibility as consumers, giving people the information they need to make educated decisions.
|
|
|
|
