Electricity Report By Md

Electricity Report By Md. Public Interest Group Declares Renewable Power Less Expensive

Jul 22 - The Daily Record (Baltimore)

While Maryland lawmakers have passed legislation over the past two years that supports renewable energy, the legislation is barely scratching the surface, said an official with the Maryland Public Interest Research Group.

The group sponsored a study, released yesterday, describing a cleaner, more efficient and less expensive electricity system for the United States. State leaders of the group said it showed that Maryland still has to move forward on the issue.

The country could significantly curb global warming emissions from power plants and save consumers money by stressing energy efficiency and clean power sources, according to A Responsible Electricity Future, completed by Cambridge, Mass.-based Synapse Energy Economics Inc. (The report is available online at www.marypirg.org.)

We need to implement the [Maryland Clean Energy Act] and we need to re-establish our clean energy programs, said Gigi Kellett, an advocate with the group, known as MaryPIRG.

Adopting a more balanced energy plan would save the country $36 billion when compared to traditional, fossil fuel electricity, the study found. It would also reduce power-sector carbon dioxide emissions by 21 percent and reduce the use of fossil fuel for electricity by 19 percent.

Really, the main theme I think is that we're on this business-as- usual task, which really doesn't make sense, economically or environmentally, said Bruce Biewald, Synapse president and principal author of the study. The finding of this study is that we can just adjust - thereby actually improve the environment and save money.

From 1991 to 1998, Maryland had an energy conservation program that, Kellett said, collected more than $500 million from rate payers, who paid a small surcharge on their monthly electricity bill. The funds paid for rebates and weatherization programs. During that time, savings of 3.5 percent of electricity sales were documented in 1998.

However, with deregulation came the phasing out of such programs nationwide, she added.

The Maryland General Assembly recently adopted the Maryland Clean Energy Act, which requires 7.5 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewable energy sources over the next 10 years.

In January, the legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto to enact the Maryland Energy Efficiency Standards Act, which established minimum energy efficiency standards for specific new products sold in the state after Jan. 1, 2005, or those installed after Jan. 1, 2006. It also requires minimum Environmental Protection Agency standards for torchiere lighting fixtures, commercial heating, cooling, electrical, signaling and laundry equipment, among other things.

The point of this report is that it's not an alternative. It's out there, Kellett said. The train is moving, but our policymakers are not jumping on that train.

Non-fossil fuel sources, including wind power and solar power, are not expensive once built and we should be doing them right away, Biewald added.

There are a lot of opportunities to save energy for very low costs that we as a society are foregoing, are overlooking, he said.

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