Clean Canadian Electricity Helping U.S. States Meet Emissions Targets

Ottawa, June 29, 2016 – Ahead of the North American Leader’s Summit in Ottawa, The Brattle Group, commissioned by a consortium of Canadian entities including the Canadian Electricity Association, released a technical guide for U.S. state-level policymakers on how to further enable clean energy imports from Canada.

“I believe that with the Brattle Report and a concerted effort by governments and industry, we can significantly grow our clean electricity partnership, as Americans are keen,” said the Honourable Sergio Marchi, President and CEO of the Canadian Electricity Association. “To do so, we need to work in collaboration with the U.S. to encourage cross border trade by addressing trade barriers, streamlining permitting processes and sharing information that ensures sound, evidence-based clean energy policies and decisions.”

Clean electricity contributes to North America’s economic prosperity while helping to reduce the continental carbon footprint. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation predicts Canadian-U.S. exports will triple, based on the recent identification of Canadian electricity imports as a viable way for States to meet the aggressive emission reduction targets set out by the Clean Power Plan.

“Canada’s clean electricity sector is ideally suited to power the next chapter of North American prosperity, particularly as leaders look to a potential North American Agreement on Energy and the Environment,” added Mr. Marchi. “Canadian electricity is already over 80% GHG-free. The sector has reduced emissions by nearly 30% since 2005 - more than any other industrial sector - and it is set to do the same again by 2030.”

The report, Enabling Canadian Electricity Imports for Clean Power Plan Compliance: Technical Guidance for U.S. State Policymakers provides guidance to States on how they may use imported Canadian electricity to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. Click here to see a copy of the report, as well asThe BrattleGroup’s news release.