NCPA has long been committed to its identity as an Environmental Steward within the energy industry. The essence of this stewardship is making those choices, finding that balance which allows a community to sustain its resource base and protect the environment while still providing adequately for its energy needs.

The reality through which NCPA and its members now navigate is complex, challenging and ever changing---a fast growing population that puts increasing pressure on resources; a complex economy where the implications of decisions are not always immediately obvious; and an unending array of new technologies with often unknown environmental consequences. And as policy issues become more and more difficult, what better place to resolve them than locally, as public power does--at the heart of the affected community, where people have a real stake, where creatively balancing the core values of environmental responsibility and resource reliability and adequacy have led to sound, effective energy policies that have placed NCPA and its members on the cutting edge of environmental issues.

NCPA's track record demonstrates the degree to which manifesting these core values has successfully created an energy supply with an extraordinarily low emissions rate, a resource base with an impressive percentage of renewables, and energy efficiency programs with a wide and varied reach.

• NCPA's resource base is 96% carbon and greenhouse gas free whereas the average Californian receives only about 25% of this electricity from sources that are carbon and greenhouse gas free
• NCPA's resource base is 64% renewables whereas the average Californian receives only 10.2% of this electricity from renewable sources (2004).
• All NCPA members have adopted a Renewable Energy Portfolio (RPS) and are far ahead of the 2017 targets set by the legislature for low emission, renewable resources.
• NCPA is a member of the California Climate Action Registry which requires NCPA member utilities to track greenhouse gas emission in a certified format, to establish emission goals, to improve  energy efficiency, and to report regularly to the Governor and the legislature.  
• NCPA and NCPA members have a track record of innovative energy efficiency programs both operational demand side(hyper text).
• NCPA is an enthusiastic supporter of the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency. 

After years of holding as one of its highest priorities the reduction of greenhouse gases, NCPA and its members are finally being joined by the rest of California. The Governor and the legislature have reached agreement on Assembly Blil 32 which will make California the first state to enact stringent greenhouse gas standards. These standards are to be implemented through two mechanisms--by establishing greenhouse gas emission caps and by requiring reporting of emissions, both of which ar being developed by the California Air Resources Board, in close consultation with the California Public Utliities Commission and the California Energy Commission.  NCPA and NCPA members are already in a position to fully comply with both of these measures.

In enacting AB 32, the legislature officially recognizes the reality and the threat of global warming and validates the principle of Environmental Stewardship by which NCPA has operated since its inception.