Edison International Asks Regulators to Address Global Warming on a National Level

Business Wire, Dec 7, 2004

ROSEMEAD, Calif. -- In long-term procurement reply comments made to California regulators yesterday, Edison International called greenhouse gas emissions "a likely contributor to global warming." The company is asking regulators, policymakers, and other stakeholders in the Western United States to join in developing comprehensive national programs to address global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide.

Edison's call to action comes on the heels of a series of recommendations by the governors of California, Oregon, and Washington addressing the impact of global warming on the economies and public health in the Western states. Edison applauds the governors for seeking reasonable policy initiatives that apply to all greenhouse gas emitting sectors of the economy and that do not focus only on investor-owned utilities as a proposed regulatory decision does.

With the current economic upswing throughout the region, and a predicted need for additional long-term electricity generation, Edison advocates developing policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on a comprehensive consideration of renewable energy and low carbon-emitting technologies, energy conservation and energy efficiency programs, conventional generation, and new carbon-dioxide emission-removal technologies.

"A deliberate and coordinated effort is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the entire energy sector," said John Bryson, chairman of Edison International. "Neither greenhouse emissions nor electricity stop at state borders. We believe the broader view can lead to a new national policy on global warming."

Short term, Edison called for aggressive development of renewable energy and the implementation of energy conservation and energy-efficiency programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Long term, a reasonable and balanced "cap-and-trade" system for reducing carbon dioxide emissions could be adopted once new carbon-dioxide removal technology has been developed and becomes commercially available. Absent a carbon-dioxide removal technology, a cap-and-trade system merely forces a shift in the fuel mix for electricity generation to higher-priced resources, raising consumer rates.

Related Facts:

--Almost 20% of the electricity Edison's utility, Southern California Edison (SCE), provides its customers comes from wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and small hydro energy sources, making it is the nation's leading purchaser of renewable energy.

--Edison has been part of the Department of Energy's Climate Challenge program since 1995. In support of program objectives, SCE reduced carbon-dioxide equivalents by more than 9 million tons in 2003.

Based in Rosemead, Calif., Edison International (NYSE:EIX) is the parent company of Southern California Edison, Edison Mission Energy, and Edison Capital.