toughest time for utilities

1月14日付のE&E TVで、World Resources Instituteのpresidentが電力会社の置かれた現状についてコメント。

the status quo is what's worse, because they have uncertainty about what is the price going to be attached to carbon, what's going to happen to conventional pollutants, a whole series of issues that significantly change the cost balance between gas, coal, nuclear, renewables and so forth. And they need that information because they're making billion-dollar investments in capital stocks that will be around for 20 years. EPA regulation will answer those questions. The best way to answer it would be Congressional legislation, but we don't have that. So a number of utilities are beginning to say, you know, actually, EPA regulation would be a lot better than nothing.

で、どの燃料に向かうかについては、“They're going to move toward gas. But I think we're going to see more wind as well.”