Tag: utilities

Regulating Power Plants

For years, Northeastern states have criticized their Midwestern
neighbors for the high levels of nitrous-oxide and sulfur emissions from
that region’s power plants. The pollution is believed to drift
northward,
causing smog and acid rain. This winter, attorneys for the states and
the
Environmental Protection Agency will meet in Federal court, to decide
whether the EPA has authority to regulate the power plants. As the
Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Brian Mann reports, now that a last-minute
compromise has fallen through, all sides are gearing up for a legal
battle
that could take years:

Wind Power Expands With Deregulation

According to the Worldwatch Institute, wind power is the fastest
growing energy source in the world – growing at an annual rate of 22%.
Here in the U-S, the Midwest accounted for most of this country’s wind
energy growth. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David Hammond reports
that energy deregulation is fueling much of this development:

States Act on Energy Deregulation (Part 1)

So far nearly two dozen states have tackled the difficult task of
deregulating their electric industries. California was the first to
approve it, and its residential and commercial users choose their
electric suppliers. Ohio is the most recent state to deregulate. It
took two years for the Buckeye state legislature to come to agreement.
Though each state’s experience is different, there are some common
threads. In the first of a two part series, the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Ley Garnett looks at three Great Lakes states (Illinois,
Ohio and Pennsylvania) where deregulation is taking root:

Nuclear Power Looks to Redefine Itself (Part 2)

More than 20 states have now approved some version of electric
deregulation and the new laws have set off a wave of changes within the
electric industry. Though this industry has always deeply affected the
natural environment, deregulation is bringing a new set of wild cards to
the table. It may provide one industry, nuclear power, the chance to
redefine itself. In the second of a two part series on deregulation,
the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Ley Garnett reports that conservation
groups and industry officials are just now beginning to sort out what it
all means:

New Bill Targets Acid Rain

A new federal report says acid rain remains a serious problem in New
York state’s Adirondacks, and is also a growing threat in the southern
Appalachians, the Rocky Mountains and elsewhere. Environmentalists are
hoping the report will strengthen political support for anti-pollution
measures in Congress this year. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Todd
Moe reports:

Voluntary Effort Targets Mercury Emissions

Minnesota is setting a goal to reduce mercury emissions 70-percent by 2005.
An advisory group of industry representatives, environmentalists, and
government agencies came up with the plan. As the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Stephanie Hemphill reports, it’s all supposed to happen through
voluntary efforts:

Ohio Ignores Feds

22 States, including all the Great Lakes States except Minnesota, have
been ordered by the federal EPA to slash their nitrogen oxide
pollution. Some of the states are suing to block the order, but Ohio is
going one step further – – it is IGNORING the order. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Bill Cohen reports:

Amway in the Utilities Business

Now that states have started deregulating the sale of natural gas and
electricity, companies are busy vying for customers. But it’s unlikely
to create the same feeding frenzy unleashed by the deregulation of the
telephone industry. That’s because there’s not as high a profit margin
for natural gas and electricity – so most companies are concentrating on
signing up high-volume users, like big business. Still, home owners and
small businesses probably won’t escape the sales pitches. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:

Mercury Emissions Hit the ‘Net’

The U-S Environmental Protection Agency will soon require some coal-burning power plants to report how much mercury their smokestacks are emitting. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports that the E-P-A will post the information on the Internet: