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| 03/12/2010 | LA Green Corps Business Advisory Group Breakfast |
| 03/31/2010 | Louisiana Green Corps Graduation |
| 04/21/2010 | Presentation by Enphase on in-line inverter technology |
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Nuclear power is neither cheap nor clean: Alliance response to letter in the Times-Picayune
February 2 - The following is a response to a letter written by Steven Smith, published in the Times-Picayune on January 25, which contained inaccurate statments. We are disappointed that the Times-Picayune has declined to publish this response, and that instead the T-P's editors choose to allow this distortion of the facts regarding our organization and our state's energy choices.
Re: Beware cost of alternative fuels, Monday, January 25, 2010
Mr. Smith needs to get his facts straight. The Alliance for Affordable Energy does not lobby the Public Service Commission. The Commission voted last year to investigate a renewable portfolio standard, primarily to combat the volatility of the natural gas market. The Alliance, as it has done for 24 years, intervened on behalf of ratepayers, and Louisiana ratepayers are not a special interest group.
Louisiana is dependent heavily on natural gas for electricity generation, and unpredictable swings in gas prices make it difficult for ratepayers to budget for their energy needs. Renewable energy will diversify our fuel supply, stabilizing energy costs. Importantly, the Commission projects an average monthly residential bill impact of less than $0.50 in order to achieve 20% renewable energy by 2020.
Mr. Smith refers to “traditional power plants that operate cleanly 24/7”. Nuclear plants are neither cheap nor clean. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires of utilities hundreds of millions of dollars in funds to decontaminate the sites where these facilities are located, which prompted the very rate increase Entergy is seeking.
Coming federal greenhouse gas regulation means that the cost of fossil fuel generation will increase. While we have no say in how federal regulation will look, we do have the power to stabilize energy costs, promote economic investment, and create jobs by promoting clean, renewable power.
Jesse George
Legal and Regulatory Affairs Director
Alliance for Affordable Energy