Emissions from ‘dirty’ energy down

WASHINGTON – The retail price of electricity increased by more than 9 percent in 2006, the largest increase since 1981.
Fourteen states and the District of Columbia saw the average price of electricity rise by 10 percent or more between 2005 and 2006, according to Electric Power Annual 2006, released recently by the Energy Information Administration.
Electricity prices increased in all regions of the country, but most of the larger increases were in the East.
Reason for increases. The main factor leading to these increases was the lifting of retail electricity price caps in states transitioning to competitive retail markets, allowing the pass-through to consumers of previous increases in costs that had not been completely reflected in prices during the duration of the caps.
Also in 2006, emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from electricity generation declined. Sulfur dioxide emissions fell 7.9 percent, the largest drop since the 9.2 percent reduction in 2000. Carbon dioxide emissions fell 2.2 percent, and nitrogen oxides emissions were down 4.1 percent.
Reductions. The main factors in emissions reductions from electricity generation included: