DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Berkshire Hathaway Energy today joins some of the largest companies in the nation at a White House meeting to officially launch the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, a demonstration of the U.S. private sector’s commitment to taking on the global challenge of climate change.
Greg Abel, chairman, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, and Cathy Woollums, senior vice president, environmental services and chief environmental counsel, are representing the energy company at the White House meeting, which is being led by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Other companies expected to participate include Alcoa, Apple, Bank of America, Cargill, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, Google, Microsoft, Pepsi, UPS and Walmart.
Through participation in the meeting, U.S. business leaders are voicing their support for a strong outcome in the international climate negotiations taking place in Paris this December. Participating companies are pledging to take specific, quantifiable steps to reduce emissions, increase low-carbon investments, use and build more clean energy, and deploy cleaner vehicles, among other actions.
“As a provider of essential energy services, our customers depend on us to power their lives and livelihoods,” said Greg Abel, Berkshire Hathaway Energy chairman, president and CEO. “And we know that they expect us to do that in a way that respects the environment we share. For more than a decade, we have been making significant investments to reduce the impact of our operations on the environment and fostering a more sustainable future by developing renewable energy generation and reducing emissions from our facilities. Joining these other U.S. businesses is one more way we can demonstrate our commitment to lead on climate action.”
Berkshire Hathaway Energy owns a portfolio of businesses that provide electric and natural gas services to more than 11.5 million customers and end-users worldwide. Its family of businesses includes U.S. utilities MidAmerican Energy Company, NV Energy, Pacific Power and Rocky Mountain Power, as well as interstate natural gas pipeline, electric transmission and renewable energy businesses, and distribution networks in the United Kingdom.
Berkshire Hathaway Energy has already invested more than $15 billion in renewable energy generation projects that are under construction and in operation through 2014, and has pledged to invest up to an additional $15 billion going forward. Specific actions that will be undertaken by the company and its businesses include acquisition of additional wind and solar generation, implementation of advanced technologies such as energy storage, retirement of coal-fueled generation capacity, investment in transmission infrastructure and support for development of markets to optimize the electric grid.
See Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s Pledge
“U.S. utilities have been transitioning to a cleaner generating fleet for years, resulting in a 15 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions below 2005 levels,” Abel said. “Berkshire Hathaway Energy is leading by example. We have long supported and made investments to advance climate-friendly solutions that move us forward toward a low-carbon, sustainable future.”
About Berkshire Hathaway Energy
Berkshire Hathaway Energy owns a portfolio of locally managed businesses that share a vision for the energy future, make sustainable investments to achieve that vision, and had $82 billion of assets as of Dec. 31, 2014. These businesses deliver safe, reliable service each day to more than 11.5 million customers and end-users around the world and consistently rank high among energy companies in customer satisfaction. Berkshire Hathaway Energy is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A. Learn more and see a complete list of our businesses at www.berkshirehathawayenergyco.com.
