Greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations and the environment are topping the list of concerns for energy utility executives right now. In a survey by Platts and Capgemini published this week, 100 executives from the utility industry were polled on their top concerns and worries. Some interesting observations from the Green Tech Blog: Although there are no federal regulations to restrict greenhouse gas emissions, utility executives are already preparing. Ninety-five percent of respondents said that the industry's focus on environment has increased from 2006. Global warming, climate change, and carbon emissions were the top environmental issues, according to 77 percent of the participants. The reason that utilities are taking carbon emissions so seriously is because of impending regional regulations, including the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in the northeast United States. But there is also a much higher awareness of global warming and carbon emissions in the general public, which ultimately utilities feel they need to respond to, said John Christiens, vice president of Capgemini's energy and utilities practice. "There's a lot of people talking about a carbon tax, or talking about a carbon cap and trade system, so many executives think the carbon trading will be a reality very soon," said Christiens. "Awareness has reached a certain point and executives recognize this only a matter of time starts to affect their business." The aging workforce was also one of the top five concerns of utilities. | 
