Our Energy, Our Future: What Can You Do To Help?

Right now, there are a lot of “what-ifs” surrounding electric power. As a nation, we need to add more generating resources to meet growing electric consumption.
 
As your provider of safe, reliable, and efficient power and environmental responsibility, it’s our job to make prudent, long-term energy decisions that will benefit you and the communities we serve for decades to come. But today those decisions are mixed up with politics like never before. Every question of supplying power is being impacted by the debate surrounding how best to meet climate change goals. Policy limiting carbon dioxide emissions is becoming more likely, although specifics are still up in the air.
 
Massive investments in new technology will be required–and soon–to find a balance in meeting both our energy and climate change goals. It is estimated to take a research investment of $1.4 billion a year from now until 2030 to develop new technology such as carbon capture and storage for our power plants.
 
Once we add this advanced technology to the equation, we can develop power plants that burn coal and isolate carbon dioxide emissions. The gas can then be compressed and pumped for permanent storage deep underground. Many experts believe that with the right financial commitment from the federal government, cost-effective carbon capture and storage technology could become commercially available around 2020.
 
But this is just one potential piece of the puzzle, and until our elected officials agree to increase the necessary funding, uncertainty remains.
 
At Access Energy Cooperative, we are dedicated to keeping you supplied with reliable and affordable electricity. We are, with electric cooperatives across the country, engaged in a grassroots campaign called “Our Energy, Our Future” to start a dialogue with lawmakers about critical questions such as technology’s role in our energy future.
 
It’s time for us to get involved and ask our elected officials some tough questions.
 
Please contact your elected officials today, and ask this question…
“What are you doing to fully fund the research and development required to make emissions-free electric plants an affordable reality?”
 
You can get involved and we will help make it easy. Simply fill out the postcard attached and send it to us. We will sign you up to start asking our legislation some tough questions we need them to answer. You don’t have to be an expert to ask questions! –OR– You can do it yourself by visiting www.ourenergy.coop to contact your elected officials and make your voice heard.