Kentucky Energy Summit
Thursday, October 11, 2007
(in celebration of CAER's 30th Anniversary)
Lexington Convention Center - Lexington, Kentucky
Scheduled to begin at 8:00 am
Cost: $30.00 (includes lunch)
Open to the public
Paul Loeffelman
Director of Environmental Public Policy
American Electric Power.
Energy Summit Topic: Protecting the Environment, Keeping Electricity Affordable and Reliable, and Powering State Economies
Presentation Abstract:
Electricity can be considered the most important economic engine in states. This power needs to be reliable and low cost for the industrial, commercial and residential customers that use it. The environment needs to be protected while it is produced and delivered. Abundant domestically available fuels, such as coal and renewable resources provide more security for power generation than fuels that are being increasingly imported such as natural gas and oil.
Coal is a dominant fuel of choice to generate electricity in many states and is likely to continue to play an important role in the future. States that use more coal generally enjoy lower retail rates than those that do not as the map below illustrates.
States may be interested in using more coal to moderate electricity price increases because natural gas and oil fuel prices have risen faster and higher than coal. These other fuel costs are expected to remain high. Middle and low-income residential ratepayers are already spending a significant portion of the annual family incomes on energy. Some states are interested in assuring that their fuel sources are secure to maintain reliable power supplies. This is especially critical as domestic natural gas and oil reserves become more limited and the demand for electricity increases.
Paul Loeffelman serves as director, environmental public policy for American Electric Power. In this role, he works to develop corporate positions on environmental public policies. He coordinates company interactions across 11 states served by AEP. He actively participates in the work of industry and policymaker coalitions to enact public policies, particularly at regional and state levels, that protect the environment and assure affordable, reliable generation and delivery of electricity.