Producing electricity to meet our growing energy demands and taking steps to protect the environment in the process can sometimes be a delicate balancing act.
These days, the effort involves businesses, investors, consumers, government and environmental leaders…as well as electric producers themselves. As there should be, much attention is on increased energy conservation and the greater use of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, to provide safe, clean energy.
However, these energy sources alone will not be enough to meet our growing thirst for energy. Quite simply, we all know the sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow.
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This is why traditional power plants – coal, natural gas and nuclear – will continue to be an essential part of the energy mix...but only if they are operated in a manner that supports a sustainable environment.
As a case in point, traditional power plants use heat to generate electricity and require water to help cool their systems. It is the main reason why power plants are located near waterways.
A regulation known as Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act states that cooling water intake systems at existing power plants must use the best technology available to minimize their environmental impact. Since the law was passed a quarter century ago, environmental regulators have weighed the costs of technologies and their resulting benefits used to protect fish in bodies of water adjacent to the plants.
This approach made sense. But, not long ago, there was a successful legal challenge to this interpretation.
Fortunately, last month, the United States Supreme Court reversed the lower court ruling supporting the challenge and requiring installation of cooling towers at power plants without considering costs and benefits of these retrofits. Essentially, the high court acknowledged that a one-size-fits-all, at-any-cost approach is not always in the best interest of the environment.
In effect, the Supreme Court’s ruling endorsed a nationally recognized effort by PSEG. In 1994, in an innovative move to protect the environment, we developed the Estuary Enhancement Program (EEP) as part of our Salem Generating Station’s water permit from the State of New Jersey.
Through this program, we have invested more than $100 million to make modifications to Salem’s water intake structure and have helped preserve more than 32 square miles of wetlands and adjoining properties to improve fish habitat near the Salem station. The environmental benefits of this marsh restoration program will continue to have a positive impact for generations to come – long after our operation at Salem has ended.
For PSEG, protecting our environment is more than just a regulation or requirement. It is an obligation we take seriously as we meet our commitment to providing safe, reliable, economic and clean energy.
What’s your view? Please let us know at Opinion@PSEG.com.
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