NEWS RELEASE

Nuclear Energy Institute Joins Climate Registry To Measure and Reduce Its Carbon Footprint

To improve its environmental stewardship, the Nuclear Energy Institute has joined The Climate Registry as a founding reporter, agreeing to voluntarily measure and publicly report the organization’s greenhouse gas emissions each year. Working with First Environment, a consulting firm that provides greenhouse gas emissions inventory support, NEI will establish its carbon footprint and then take actions to reduce and mitigate that footprint.

“We are very excited about our role in this groundbreaking effort with The Climate Registry,” said NEI President and Chief Executive Officer Frank L. (Skip) Bowman. “To better do our part to address the threat of global climate change, we first must accurately understand the magnitude and origins of our organization’s carbon footprint. We then can develop and implement steps toward reducing that footprint over time. As a founding reporter of the registry, we want to lead by example in demonstrating NEI’s commitment to protecting the environment.”  

This initiative was advanced by several members of NEI’s “GreenTeam,” a group of employees that shares environmental information and encourages energy conservation and efficiency practices at work and at home. “Our team reviewed all of the different projects and initiatives that would contribute to NEI protecting our environment,” said John McIntire, NEI’s chief information officer and one of the leaders of NEI’s GreenTeam. “It was clear that measuring and possibly offsetting our carbon footprint was the place to start.”

NEI plans to develop a greenhouse gas emissions inventory that includes its operations throughout the United States. This inventory will include emissions associated with its Washington, D.C. offices, satellite offices, business travel and conferences/events. Once this inventory has been completed, NEI will evaluate options to reduce or mitigate its emissions.  

“NEI has demonstrated exemplary environmental leadership by courageously stepping forward to support The Climate Registry in its preliminary stages. We are deeply grateful for their integral support in helping to address the challenge of climate change,” said Gina McCarthy, Chair of The Climate Registry.
 
The greenhouse gas measurements will be documented using The Climate Registry’s general reporting protocol and independently verified. Because all reporters use the same methodologies, representing best practice in voluntary corporate reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the reported data is an accurate, consistent, high-quality data set of GHG emissions. The protocol is based on the internationally recognized GHG measurement standards of the World Resources Institute and World Business Council on Sustainability.
 
The Climate Registry is a non-profit organization established to measure and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions in a common, accurate and transparent manner consistent across industry sectors and borders. Thirty-nine U.S. states, six Canadian provinces, three Native American tribes, two Mexican states and the District of Columbia are the founders of the organization. NEI and more than 240 other non-profit, corporate and government entities voluntarily joined as founding reporters to support the registry’s formation.