Exelon Executive Urges Private Sector to Lead on Climate Change

In the keynote address today to a major corporate forum on climate change, Ruth Ann Gillis, executive vice president of Exelon and president of Exelon Business Services Co., called for U.S. corporations to take the lead on carbon emissions reduction rather than waiting for government to pass climate change legislation.

"I am optimistic that federal action to address climate change will be forthcoming,” Gillis said. "Even so, we cannot wait for Washington to act. The private sector needs to take the lead in transitioning to a low-carbon economy.”

Gillis spoke to an audience of more than 150 corporate sustainability officers at the Corporate Climate Response conference. Held in downtown Chicago, where Exelon is headquartered, the annual event is a forum for corporate environmental and supply chain professionals to exchange ideas and strategies for reducing their impacts on climate change. Gillis’ central message was the urgent need for businesses to assess and address their impacts on global warming, in part to prompt legislative action by units of government.

"Without sound and enabling public policy at the federal, regional and state levels, business and society will not be able to address the climate change challenge as quickly, effectively and economically as required,” she said.

Exelon’s Low-Carbon Initiative

Gillis shared with attendees the steps that Exelon, one of the nation's largest utilities, is taking to address climate change. She outlined the strategies that underlie Exelon 2020: A Low-Carbon Roadmap, the company’s plan to reduce, offset or displace more than 15 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2020. This is more than Exelon’s current annual carbon footprint and equivalent to taking nearly 3 million cars off U.S. roads. Gillis held up Exelon’s plan as evidence that companies can reduce emissions in ways that serve both their economic and environmental interests.

"Any serious, long-term sustainability effort must be a strategic business plan as much as an environmental plan,” Gillis said. "We designed Exelon’s low-carbon plan to prepare the company for a carbon-constrained future.”

Gillis said that while it is necessary for companies to identify ways to eliminate emissions from their own operations, they should not ignore the carbon reduction opportunities presented by outside stakeholders.

"To fully maximize our impact on emissions, we must look beyond our own walls and encourage the involvement of suppliers, employees, customers and the communities we serve,” Gillis said.

Helen Howes, Exelon vice president, environment, health and safety, will speak on a panel at the conference on Sept. 23. Titled "To offset or not to offset?” the panel will explore the debates and opportunities that surround offsetting a company’s carbon emissions.

Gillis’ speech is available on the Web at www.exeloncorp.com/aboutus/speakersbureau.com.

Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities with nearly $19 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and Pennsylvania and natural gas to 480,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.