PEP’s Energy Policy Recommendations

PEP’s Energy Policy Recommendations

Energy availability and pricing is of a vital interest to citizens and businesses in the coastal Alabama region. To address this situation, Partners for Environmental Progress supports the formulation of public policy at all levels of government that will:

1. Promote conservation and efficient energy consumption
   1. Encourageindividualandcorporateresponsibilitytomakeinformedchoicesin energy design, consumption, and improvements.
   2. Promotepublicawarenessofbestpracticeenergyconservationand consumption solutions in order to educate and promote rapid adoption of technologies.
   3. Provide incentives for energy conservation and capital funding to implement improvements and innovations.
2. Increase the supply of energy in a manner that is safe, innovative and protective of the environment.
   1. Encouragethedevelopmentofdomesticnaturalgasandoildepositsoffshore and onshore. Such development should responsibly consider present and future environmental, health, and safety issues which includes sound risk management principles.
   2. Providepublicincentivesforthedevelopmentofadiversemixofenergy sources including clean coal, biomass, nuclear power, wind, solar and other renewable sources of energy.
   3. Increase public funding of basic and applied research to improve understanding of the potential environmental impacts of energy development and use.
   4. Provide and maintain a modern (e.g. smart grid) energy infrastructure to meet growing demand
3. Improve the regulatory climate. The permitting and enforcement process should exhibit, at a minimum, the following characteristics:
   1. Fact-Based: The processes should be based on facts and sound scientific research concerning probable and cumulative impacts of each development.
   2. Comprehensive: The processes should consider all aspects of any proposed development, especially safety and environmental impacts and be fair and equitable across the board.
   3. Organized: The lead agency responsible for the permitting process should be clearly identified, and should be accountable for inclusion of input from all

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related agencies at all levels of government. The process should seek the involvement of the local community on a broad basis as early as possible.

d. Enforceable:Eachpermitshouldbeclearinitsrequirementsforoperation,for reporting, and for penalties and be fair and equitable across the board.

Provide proper Risk Management. All projects developed to supply energy, whether into a publicly available distribution system or for private use, must have given proper consideration to risk management. As a minimum, this would include

a. Proper assessment of the project’s potential risk to the facility, the public and the environment.

b. Development and implementation of Prevention Plans for those Risks following available codes and regulations and sound practices developed by professional organizations.

c. Ensuring that mitigation plans are in place for all identified Risks which include Emergency Response Plans, properly trained responders and equipment.

d. Having a process that ensures periodic review and update of the Prevention and Mitigation Plans.

In addition to a clear and rational public policy, Partners for Environmental Progress supports a comprehensive educational effort to ensure citizens and businesses have the knowledge to:

• Enter into the public debate concerning energy policy and regulation
• Understand decisions and consequences for the coastal Alabama region
• Make informed individual choices concerning the use of all forms of energy