According to a recent survey of Edison Electric Institute (EEI) members, 90% of members have incorporated into their business strategies and operating practices a set of environmental excellence principles established by EEI. Others are in the process of doing so.

EEI released its first “Environmental Excellence Report” on April 18, 2007. EEI says that this 47-page report attempts to quantify and characterize EEI members’ compliance with the EEI environmental excellence principles in a comprehensive way. The five principles are: environmental commitment, improved performance, pollution prevention and resource conservation, public outreach and reporting, stakeholder dialogue and stewardship.

A 34-page survey was sent to all EEI member companies in July 2006; of the 76 holding companies, 56 returned the survey. The companies that responded to the survey reflect more than 95% of the shareholder-owned electric power industry’s customers, sales and service territory.

Half of the survey respondents said they already maintain a formal environmental management system (EMS), a set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency, as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Many other respondents indicated that they are developing formal EMSs.

More than 90% of survey respondents conduct regular audits of their environmental commitments, according to the report. These audits measure compliance with environmental standards and, in many cases, also include safety and occupational health issues.

The report contains many other key statistics and vital information on an array of topics such as vegetation management, solid and hazardous materials, and environmental disclosure. The report can be downloaded free on the EEI website at www.eei.org.