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RENEWABLES

Mandatory renewables requirements are probably  necessary in stimulating the market to build wind facilities.  Entrepreneurs will probably step in and lead such developments.  However, utilities should not be required to shoulder the burden alone. This should eliminate any unnecesary burden on utilties and ratepayers.  Renewable energy can be provided to consumers by utilities and merchant generators in all states regardless of whether they have mandated programs. Voluntary pursuits are a nice complement to mandatory ones, which some believe are still necessary because they create more certainty in the marketplace.

Currently, approximately 300 utilities in 32 states offer renewable energy alternatives. Some programs are mandated, others are not. Florida Power & Light's Sunshine Energy program, for example, allows customers to choose whether they would like to pay an additional $9.75 per month for 1,000 kilowatts of renewable energy that is placed on the grid for general usage. For every 10,000 homes that sign on, the utility has said that it would provide 150 megawatts of solar power—a proposition that the company says may not be economical for it. FPL expects one percent of its customer base, or 8 million people, to enroll in the first year.

Approximately 15 states have approved policies that require utilities to provide wind, solar, hydro, biomass and geothermal options to consumers. Those technologies are typically more costly than conventional generation and, therefore, the states are trying to help jump start their advancement by enacting portfolio requirements that will spur investment. The hope is that these actions will facilitate the economies of scale needed to drive costs down and to attract new players to the market in order to compete with conventional generation without the need for mandates and subsidies.

Emissions Marketing Association and CleanAir Canada Agree to Create "EMA-Canada" -- Emissions Trading North America & Europe

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN & TORONTO, ONTARIO - The Emissions Marketing Association (EMA) and CleanAir Canada, Inc. announced the signing of an agreement to cooperate on the formation of EMA Canada, a chapter of EMA International.  Initially EMA International will include chapters serving the United States, the European Union and Canada.  Other chapters are also being developed to serve the needs of emerging environmental markets.

EMA and CleanAir Canada believe there is a shared mission between the organizations in providing education, outreach and technical services to their respective memberships.  By uniting memberships, resources and energy, the new EMA Canada will be much better situated to serve the growing environmental markets in Canada and North America.

The existing CleanAir Canada Registry, while continuing to be operated by CleanAir Canada under contract to the EMA, will become a service of EMA International.  Combining CleanAir Canada's existing registry assets with EMA's brand and the support of the EMA organization and its membership will foster development of trading markets for environmental management.

As the new federation structure is realized, EMA will become the Environmental Markets Association to recognize the expansion of EMA into markets for renewable energy credits (RECs), water rights and other emerging environmental markets.

The Emissions Marketing Association, an international nonprofit trade association, was originally formed in 1997 to promote market-based trading solutions for environmental management.  Today EMA consists of more than 250 members from 190 companies worldwide.  EMA is the world's largest membership-based organization dedicated to advancing environmental markets.

CleanAir Canada is an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to excellence in the development, operation and expanded use of local and global emission reduction market mechanisms in Canada.  Its membership is built on the volunteer efforts of a broad range of organizations representing the diverse sectors of interest in the environment.  CleanAir Canada is Canada's largest experienced-based knowledge center for emission reduction and trading.

For More Information Contact:
Ray Rivers, CleanAir Canada, Inc.
Phone: 416-922-2903
Fax: (416) 922-5126
E-Mail: info@cleanaircanada.org

Daniel L. Chartier, Emissions Marketing Association
Phone: (301) 280-5530
Fax: (301) 280-5517
E-Mail: dchartier@emissions.org