SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S ENVIRONMENT At the Crossroads : ENERGY: ASSESSING ITS ROLE : Rising Demand Keeps Pressure on Resources

How we produce and consume energy has a major impact on the environment.

Transportation by far accounts for most of our energy use, upward of 70% to 80%. And motorists in Southern California buy more gasoline and drive more miles than anywhere in the country. So it’s no surprise that motor vehicles and oil refineries, which spew forth pollutants and toxic chemicals, are a major source of environmental problems.

In addition, ocean drilling for crude oil and transporting petroleum to refineries hold the threat of spills that would damage marine life. On land, plumes of leaked petroleum contaminants move from refineries toward ground water supplies. Also, more than 5,000 underground fuel storage tanks are believed to be leaking in Southern California.

Our stewardship of electricity and natural gas also has an impact on the environment. Conventional power plants--455 in the Los Angeles Basin, including major utilities and small, co-generation units--burn fuel oil and natural gas to generate electricity, all of which add to air pollution. Nuclear power plants produce radioactive wastes that must be stored for thousands of years. Hydroelectric dams tame wild rivers and flood scenic areas.

By far the biggest contribution to reducing pollution has been the generation of “negawatts”--reducing our electricity demands through conservation. Insulating homes or using more energy-efficient appliances and lighting are examples.

Standards Toughened

Still higher-mileage cars are in the works. Federal fuel economy standards are being toughened to conserve energy. There is a push for vehicles that run on cleaner fuels, like methanol, natural gas, and electricity.

Despite conservation measures by residents and industry, natural gas consumption in Southern California is expected to grow 2% per year through the year 2000 because of population growth.

The same scenario holds for electricity use, driven by the twin forces of population growth and increasing demands for air conditioning.

Also, energy conservation measures, while important, do not necessarily contribute to cleaner air locally. About 80% of the electricity used in the Los Angeles Basin is generated outside the area, such as the Pacific Northwest and New Mexico.

The reliance on imported electricity is expected to gradually increase in the years ahead. To the extent that such electricity is generated by coal, oil or natural gas-fired power plants, we are, in effect, exporting our pollution.