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By Civil Society Institute (CSI)
The U.S region consisting of Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and West Virginia would fare among the best of all the major sections of the U.S. under a transition to a clean-energy electricity future, according to an analysis released by Synapse Energy Economics, Inc., for the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI) think tank.
The "Greater Midwest" region examined by Synapse covers three linked sub-regions, as grouped by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The report defines the greater Midwest region as consisting of Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
The Synapse/CSI report outlines a transition to healthier, safer power industry nationwide and provides details on what this transition might look like in the Greater Midwest and the rest of the U.S. The benefits of this transition for the Midwest include significantly reduced air pollution from the retirement of all coal-fired generation and the potential to become a global leader in clean electricity technologies, especially wind power, which would account for more than a third of regional electricity generation.
Following up on a May 2010 report by Synapse for CSI, the new Synapse analysis outlines an approach for the Greater Midwest under which a major expansion of energy efficiency programs slows the growth in electricity use, and by 2021 these programs begin reducing electricity use each year. Energy savings at this level are currently being achieved by a number of utilities, and there is no reason why all Midwestern companies cannot achieve these levels within a decade.
Grant Smith, energy advisor to the Civil Society Institute, said: "The Midwest is at a crossroads today. While the electric power industry remains obsessed with such dirty and needlessly expensive 19th and 20th century 'business as usual' solutions as coal-fired and nuclear power, there is an opportunity today to make the transition without multi-billion dollar gambles on unproven carbon capture and sequestration technology and risky nuclear loan-guarantee bailouts. In the wake of the failed Federal action on climate legislation, leadership from the states is even more important. The Synapse Energy Economics report shows that a clean energy future is within our grasp. It will take political will and leadership from outside Washington."
The path outlined in the Synapse/CSI analysis report also would mean cleaner air in the Midwest and dramatically reduced with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electric sector - down by more than 90 percent, compared to a 29 percent increase for the region under status quo trends. Similarly, toxic mercury emissions would fall 100 percent, compared to a much higher level under the status quo. Water consumption by power plants also would fall considerably.
The full text of the Civil Society Institute reports prepared by Synapse Energy Economics are available online at:
www.CivilSocietyInstitute.org
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