CIVIL SOCIETY INSTITUTE STUDY: U.S. COULD ACHIEVE OVER $80 BILLION IN LOWER ENERGY COSTS BY FOCUSING ON SAFER, RENEWABLE ENERGY

WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 16, 2011 – It is a myth that switching to safe, renewable energy would mean an unreliable U.S. power supply that also is too expensive to afford. That is the major conclusion of a new Synapse Energy Economics report prepared for the nonprofit Civil Society Institute (CSI) that details a future with more energy efficiency and renewable energy and less reliance on coal and nuclear power. Titled "Toward a Sustainable Future for the U.S. Power Sector: Beyond Business as Usual 2011," new Synapse/CSI report outlines a realistic transition to a cleaner energy future that would result in a net savings of $83 billion over the next 40 years. The Synapse report also details other major benefits, including: the avoidance of tens of thousands of premature deaths due to pollution; the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs; sharp cuts in carbon pollution; and significant cuts in water consumption for power production.

Read the 11.16.11 Civil Society Institute news release here.
Read the 11.16.11 Synapse Energy Economics report here.
After 5 p.m. EST on 11.16.11, listen to the streaming audio of the CSI news event.
Read about the related 11.3.11 CSI national opinion survey here.