NPPD joins Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) and Lincoln Electric System (LES) in committing to decarbonization
Nearly every Nebraskan now receives electricity from a utility committed to carbon neutrality
COLUMBUS – By a 9-2 vote on Thursday, December 9, the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) Board of Directors adopted a decarbonization goal of net-zero carbon by 2050. Nebraska Conservation Voters (NCV), a statewide organization that advocates for policies to protect the environment for future generations, applauded today’s vote:
NCV’s Deputy Director, Chelsea Johnson, said: “NPPD’s vote is pro-growth, pro-economic development, pro-jobs, pro-opportunity, and pro-clean air and water. Setting a decarbonization goal signals commitment to all of these principles, so it makes sense that the NPPD Board adopted this policy and that Nebraskans are behind them.”
With the adoption of this policy, NPPD joins Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) and Lincoln Electric System (LES), Nebraska’s other two major electric utilities, who have already committed to decarbonization.
“Clean energy is already a major economic engine for rural Nebraska,” Johnson said. “We have talked to voters across the state and poll after poll confirms what we have heard again and again, that there is broad public support for clean energy and reducing pollution. This is a historic day for Nebraska, and we are excited about the path forward,” she said.
Nearly every Nebraskan now receives electricity from a utility committed to carbon neutrality. This is a remarkable shift from where the state was just six years ago. In 2015, the U.S. Energy Information Administration found that Nebraska’s carbon emissions had increased more than any other state’s during the period 2000-2015. Now, Nebraska’s electricity sector is committed to decarbonization.
“In recent election cycles, voters have elected new NPPD Board members who more closely reflect their values. These directors campaigned on clean energy development, the importance of staying abreast of the technological shifts happening in the electricity sector, and making sure that we can continue to provide affordable and reliable energy,” Johnson said. “NCV supported these candidates in their elections and ensured that over the course of the last year, the board heard from their constituents in regards to the decarbonization goal.”
The resolution says in part: “NPPD adopts the goal of achieving “net zero” carbon emissions from NPPD’s generation resources by 2050.”
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