Public Service Commission member Susan Parker told the Athens Lions Club Tuesday night that in the drive to find renewable power sources the easiest and most economical might be “energy efficiency.”

She said a concept she has introduced on the commission, which she calls “Consumer Education Initiative,” could be called the “fifth” renewable power source. The others are hydro, wind, solar and nuclear.

“I have started to teach people how to use less energy, but I will say that we are doing pretty good, compared to the rest of the country,” she said.

She said the country is about to see a “carbon tax” on coal energy because coal produces carbon that pollutes the atmosphere.

Parker said there is a move underway across the nation to institute a “renewable power portfolio,” meaning that a certain percentage of power must come from renewable sources, and for people in the South, hydroelectric sources don’t count.

“Existing hydro will not count, but wind would,” she said.

Parker said that for wind to be a power source, there must be at least a 30 mph sustained wind, which the western states can achieve, but not the southern states.

“We also want to count hydro and nuclear,” she said. “But the cost of energy will go up, whether through a carbon tax or a renewable energy tax.”

Parker, whose background is in education, having served in the administration of both Calhoun Community College and Athens State University, said she did not know a lot about energy when she was elected to the Public Service Commission in 2006.

“But we have to realize we have little control over power prices,” she said.

The PSC regulates Alabama Power Co., but has no regulatory power over the Tennessee Valley Authority, which regulates itself.

Parker said coal prices have tripled since 2006 and the fluctuation of oil prices is dependant upon the economy. She said there are many factors that affect the fuel production and one of those is foreign demand, which has driven up the price of some materials, such as copper.

“China builds one coal-fired plant every week,” she said. “They are sucking up all our commodities and materials, so you see a lot of rate increases. TVA went up by 20 percent, and then are down to a 9-percent increase. We only went up by 9 percent on Alabama Power.

“It’s great that oil prices have come down, but it’s only a temporary deflation because of the recession and will be back up,” she said.

Parker also discussed the telephone area code change for those in the 256 dialing area, which is expected to take effect in 2011. She said the economy dictated the commission choose an “overlay” system in which those with existing 256 area codes would not change, but those getting new service would be assigned a 938 code.

She said consumers will have to dial 10 digits, but it will prevent those with existing 256 area codes, especially businesses, from having to reprint business materials.

Parker said there is a bill that is about to be introduced, backed by AT&T;, which would eliminate the PSC’s power to regulate costs to those people who are in rural areas that receive only basic phone service and where AT&T; has no competition.

“If rural and urban rates are tied together, they won’t raise the rates (because in urban areas there is competing companies). We say we can’t separate them. They wouldn’t agree, so we oppose the bill,” said Parker.

Parker said the Alabama PSC is the only all-female commission and the first totally female commission in the whole nation. She serves with co-member Jan Cook and Chairman Lucy Baxley.