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Food Industry Cautions EPA, White House
on Clear Skies Initiative
Says cogeneration policy is at odds with other
energy goals
Washington, D.C. – The Food Industry Environmental Council (FIEC),
a coalition of more than 50 food processors and trade
associations founded and chaired by the American Frozen Food
Institute, recently sent
letters
to the White House and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
advising the Bush Administration of potential downsides
associated with its current Clear Skies Initiative proposal.
The initiative, aimed at improving air quality through
stricter emissions standards, includes a provision that would
apply more stringent regulations to those operations deemed
“electric generating units.” Of particular concern to the food
industry, industrial cogeneration facilities, and specifically
those found in the food-manufacturing sector, would be included
in this definition of “electrical generating units.” American
food manufacturers rely on combined heat and power, or
cogeneration, for electricity production. Importantly,
implementation of this initiative would be not only harmful to
the food industry, but it also would be at odds with the
President’s energy and global climate policies.
“Our industry depends heavily on cogeneration, which EPA has
acknowledged is twice as energy efficient as traditional power
production and produces comparably low emissions of conventional
pollutants and carbon dioxide. In fact, U.S. Energy Information
Administration data indicate that food manufacturing ranks first
among the 65 non-utility industries generating electricity
through cogeneration,” wrote FIEC members.
In its written comments, FIEC reminded EPA and the White
House that many food manufacturing facilities use clean natural
gas as the fuel of choice for cogeneration, thereby further
reducing emissions. Furthermore, the President’s National Energy
Plan recognizes the importance of cogeneration and includes
recommendations to expand its use.
FIEC continued, “Regulating cogeneration under the Clear
Skies Initiative would have little impact because emissions
reductions from these relatively small units would be low while
the retrofit costs would be high, inevitably discouraging use of
cogeneration in food manufacturing and other industrial
sectors.”
In its concluding remarks, FIEC urged the Administration to
ensure the Clear Skies Initiative is consistent with the
President’s other energy and climate goals by excluding coverage
of cogeneration.
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The
American Frozen Food Institute is the national trade
association that has represented the interests of the frozen
food industry for more than 60 years. Its 520 corporate members
account for more than 90 percent of the frozen food production
in the U.S.
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