Letter to the Editor

Safe, reliable, affordable, public, power

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Turn on the television and, if you are like me, you will find yourself flipping through the channels for some good news. Amid all the talk about rising fuel costs and other financial challenges, there is a message -- at least here in Nebraska -- that is positive: Public Power or other not-for-profit utilities generate and deliver your electricity.

Why is that important? One answer is that your electric rates are among the lowest in the country. Even with necessary rate increases to cover the rising cost of fuel and investments in equipment and power lines, you pay only what it costs your utility to serve you, whether your electric bill comes from the Nebraska Public Power District or another public power or not-for-profit entity. Not one penny goes to out-of-state shareholders looking to make a profit on your electric bill.

Your money is also reinvested in the electrical system that serves you. NPPD operates more than 5,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, a nuclear power plant, two coal-fired plants, 36 wind turbines, two natural gas facilities, and several hydropower units. This excellent fuel diversity is one of the reasons Nebraska's electric rates are lower than what electric customers in more than 40 other states pay.

However, continuing to provide reliable and reasonably priced electricity, while complying with ever increasing environmental and other regulatory requirements, will be one of the biggest and perhaps most expensive challenges the electric industry has ever faced.

NPPD is cognizant of its impact on the environment. We have made sizeable investments to meet emission requirements, and future legislative or regulatory policies could require NPPD to invest significantly more. While these and other regulatory costs may affect you, NPPD is working to lessen the impact as much as possible, because we understand our responsibility to keep electric service affordable.

Our checkbook looks a lot like yours. There are daily expenses, unplanned events, and payments against debt. But like you, we are doing what we can to make the future brighter. We are increasing the amount of electricity we generate from renewable energy resources, such as wind, and we are promoting the use of energy efficient technologies, like compact fluorescent lamps and heat pumps. We are also researching tomorrow's fuel sources, like hydrogen and biomass.

Our goal, and that of all the public power utilities in Nebraska, is to continue to provide service that is safe, reliable, affordable, and reflects our commitment to the environment. Because next year or even 10 years from now, we intend to be Always There When You Need Us.

For more information, visit http://itsyourpower.org.

-- Ron Asche is president and CEO of the Nebraska Public Power District.

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