Are appliance efficiency standards regulated at the state or federal level?

Ralph answers: Excellent question. The National Appliance Energy Conservation Act establishes nationwide minimum efficieny standards for appliances, which are revised and upgraded periodically. The federal standards took effect starting in 1990, and generally supersede all state standards, although there are provisions for states to reassert themselves if the federal government fails to meet its responsibilities. As a result, the dominant forum today for appliance efficiency standards is the U.S. Department of Energy (whose Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is NRDC alumnus Dan Reicher).

Have the number of CA customers switching to clean energy sources offset those switching to dirtier sources?

Ralph answers: No reliable data are yet available on this issue; we agree on its importance and will be tracking it closely. For the residential sector, there are no "dirty" products now available in California; environmentally superior product offerings dominate (although it remains to be seen how large the market will be). Customers who don't make a choice of supplier simply get system power, with emissions representing the average for all power feeding the grid. The principal near-term environmental benefits from California restructuring are likely to come from $600 million in annual guaranteed statewide investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and low-income energy services, paid for through a 3% surcharge on every customer's bill.

How can industry reconcile global competitiveness with environmental responsibility?

Ralph answers: There is, an fact, no conflict between the two. NRDC and others have spent the last two decades proving that energy efficiency and renewable energy reinforce global competitiveness, and many industries now agree (prominent examples include Public Service Electric & Gas, Enron, and Whirlpool). The least-cost path to healthy economies will be dominated by sustainable energy technologies -- provided that we first clear away a thicket of obstructing market barriers and subsidies.

Why don't environmentalists seem to actively oppose nuclear power anymore?

Ralph answers: Environmentalists remain deeply concerned about numerous nuclear power issues, including safe waste disposal and potential contributions to proliferation of nuclear weapons. But no new nuclear plants are being built anywhere in the United States, and a wave of shutdowns has begun as increasing competition drives high-cost nuclear plants from the marketplace. Within many of our lifetimes, our entire nuclear fleet can be expected to reach retirement age. The real issue today is what will replace nuclear power, which now supplies more than one-fifth of our electricity. NRDC is working to make sure that dirty coal plants don't take advantage of regulatory loopholes and prevent cleaner sources from lighting the way to a sustainable energy future.

Why has your organization criticized the Clinton Administration's proposal on electricity restructuring?

Ralph answers: There certainly are elements of the proposal that we strongly support (see below); our disappointment stems from the Administration's failure so far to take advantage of a golden opportunity to clean up the oldest and dirtiest power plants. These plants account for significant fractions of U.S. air pollution, yet they are held to far laxer standards than newer competitors. The Administration has not yet joined a growing bipartisan consensus in the Congress that these polluters should stop receiving a competitive advantage. We're also still waiting for the Administration to make good on its commitment to provide a substantial down payment on the nation's long-term objective to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

But we applaud several other features of the Administration's proposal. These include several major reforms that NRDC strongly supports: (1) a national matching fund of $3 billion per year to promote state and local investments in energy efficiency; (2) a commitment to at least triple the current nationwide contribution of renewable energy resources like wind, geothermal and solar; (3) guarantees that every household can hook up to solar photovoltaic power on much improved terms; and (4) uniform environmental disclosure requirements for every electricity supplier. We look forward to working with the Administration to secure federal legislation that will benefit consumers, public health and the environment.

In the restructuring, will environmentalists be pushing harder for energy efficiency, or renewable energy sources?

Ralph answers: Environmentalists will be pushing hard for BOTH; this is not an either/or situation. A sustainable energy future requires integrated investment in efficiency and renewable energy, which are complementary, not competing, strategies.

What is the "grid"?

Ralph answers: "The grid" is the gigantic system of interconnected transmisssion lines that moves power around the country. Three big ones connect essentially everyone to the nation's power plants; they cover, respectively, the Western U.S. and Canada, Texas, and everybody else in the U.S.

Why is solar energy still so costly?

Ralph answers: Solar energy is steadily getting cheaper, but it still has some catching up to do in order to become competitive with gas or coal in most places (although in some remote locations solar already is cost-effective because it avoids costly new transmission lines). We've invested less in this technology than many of its competitors, and we've subsidized other energy sources by failing to charge them fully for the environmental damage that they cause. NRDC is bullish on solar power, provided that it gets a fair chance to compete.

Why are environmentalists so interested in the electric industry?

Ralph answers: Electric power production accounts for two-thirds of U.S. sulfur dioxide emissions, one-third of carbon dioxide emissions, one-third of the mercury, and about 30 percent of the nitrogen oxides, just for starters. Add much of the civilian radioactive waste and numerous impacts that hydropower facilities have on fish, wildlife and water quality and you can see why some believe that this industry matters more for the environment than any other.

Isn't restructuring bad for the environment?

Ralph answers: Restructuring isn't necessarily good or bad for the environment; everything depends on how you do it, and there isn't one preordained path that everyone must follow. NRDC is fighting for restructuring solutions that promote both competition and environmental quality.

Why should I pay more for clean energy?

Ralph answers: You should be willing to pay more because you're getting a better product. You're getting the opportunity for the first time to send your electric bill to sustainable energy sources, while ensuring that not one dime goes to coal-fired polluters. You're finally getting a chance to exercise personal control over where to send the most environmentally significant portion of your electric bill.