Changing times mean changing energy attitudes

Friday, Aug. 29, 2008

Our elected and business leaders after World War II adopted policies and fought for infrastructure projects which transformed our region. Today we are a vibrant suburban region sustained by major military and civilian job producers, competitive house prices, excellent roads to commute to the Washington region and sufficient remaining green space to retain a rural character.

The fastest growth rate of any region in the state over the past several decades has resulted in a diverse population of more than 300,000 people. We wonder how the lifestyles we have taken for granted can be sustained in light of the growing energy costs of today and predicted energy shortages of the next decade. How do we get the power we need to sustain our economic success?

Gov. Martin O’Malley at the Maryland Association of Counties conference this month noted that state agency reports say Maryland is faced with the prospect of rolling blackouts and brownouts by 2011. He challenged local, state, federal and private sector partners to adopt a comprehensive approach to implement new electrical generation, transmission and energy conservation measures.

We are a wired society, dependent on a steady flow of electricity, living a lifestyle based on cheap gasoline, living in houses built when energy demands reflected the low cost of coal, fuel oil or electric heat. Ten years ago we paid less than $12 for a barrel of oil, $15 adjusted for inflation; now it will not fall below $100 a barrel.

I remember my father complaining when gasoline went from 35 cents to 37 cents a gallon. We celebrate today when gas drops from $4 a gallon to $3.65. Constellation Energy increased its electrical rates by 70 percent when price caps were removed. Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, buying wisely from 25 different electrical suppliers during optimum pricing opportunities, kept its initial increase to 23 percent.

In the short term, we will need to buy and transmit into Maryland additional electrical energy from western coal-based generators to avoid the predicted rolling brownouts. Electrical suppliers across the state, including SMECO, are planning for transmission line upgrades to be able to handle the increased demand for electricity. SMECO is going through public hearings for its planned $123 million investment to increase transmission capacity.

Much of this energy comes from the coal-fired power plants in Ohio, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. These plants are a major source of air pollution which affect our air quality and river systems. Electrical generation plants contribute 32 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. While we need to build more electrical generating plants in Maryland, traditional coal-fired plants will face a real challenge given their contributions to the greenhouse gas equation.

Southern Maryland has access to liquid natural gas via the terminal in Calvert County and a pipeline across the three counties. Plans are under way to secure approvals to build several natural gas electric generation plants. Public Service Commission hearings have just concluded on the proposed third nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs. The Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland supports the efforts to secure a third nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs.

These utility-based generating improvements are needed to meet ever-increasing demand due to the rising population of our region, but alternative energy sources of geothermal, wind, solar and biofuels are also essential to a balanced approach.

SMECO approved, for the first time, a request from a homeowner, Ken Robinson, to build a 33-foot-tall wind turbine in Charles County to help reduce his dependence on the utility grid. This innovative project will require state and county regulatory agencies to re-evaluate and make more flexible their procedures and regulations. Additionally, SMECO is a founding member of the nascent National Renewables Cooperative Organization, whose mission is the nationwide development of sustainable energy production projects.

Developing innovative energy conservation and generating technologies and practices is critical in the long term, requiring increased investment in our students to stimulate their interest in science, technology, engineering and math. All three counties have special STEM programs geared to producing a 21st-century workforce that can meet the needs of our defense and other businesses in the region.

The federal requirement for a mix of biofuel with gasoline has driven corn prices to new highs, with more corn planted in Southern Maryland this year than any year I can remember. The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission’s Buy Local program has been adopted statewide. The program’s farmers market brochure is in demand. The increasing cost to transport foods makes local produce once again competitive. This supports preservation of our farms, reduced gas consumption and fresher produce for our citizens.

New federal legislation passed to raise the miles per gallon effectiveness of our vehicles from 25 to 35 miles per gallon will drive car manufacturers to meet these standards. Market forces will push innovators to invent and manufacturers to mass produce non-oil-based vehicles by mid-century. In the short term, we are seeing increasing demand for commuter bus, van pool and telecommuting in response to the high price of gas and out of county commutes for 60 percent of Calvert and Charles counties’ residents. Telecommuting programs are promoted by the Tri-County Council. We are also involved with the Maryland Broadband Cooperative to promote universal access for rural Marylanders to fiber-optic cable to promote high speed Internet and other services.

The energy challenges we face also requires the hardest of all actions — individual families making decisions to change. When Constellation Energy raised our electric bill by 70 percent, my wife and I added more basement and ceiling insulation, removed the baseboard electric heat and replaced it with a more efficient heat pump system, replaced single-pane with double-pane windows, installed ceiling fans and changed out traditional light bulbs with energy efficient varieties.

As our appliances die, we replace them with energy efficient appliances. We stop by Friday night at the North Beach farmers market to buy local and chat with friends. We plan multiple chores on drives to reduce our gasoline cost.

We applaud the movement by the federal and state governments to require green building goals for their planned new buildings, and the Maryland tax-incentives program for adapting historic buildings for new uses and for tax credits for energy efficient upgrades to homes and businesses.

The live-near-your-work program is also to be encouraged.

A sustainable future requires conservation of our forest and farms and reduction in energy use. Each family can make a difference while we look to business, local, state and federal approaches to sustain the quality of life and work in Southern Maryland.

Wayne Clark is the executive director of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland. He can be reached at 301-870-2520 or wclark@tccsmd.org.