Entergy 2006 Annual Report Download - page 14

12
Delivering Superior Results to Society
As we refined our financial aspirations, we also
reaffirmed our societal aspirations. We are convinced
that being a leader in environmental excellence,
meeting the particular needs of our low-income
customers and fostering a safe, inclusive work
environment are more important than ever to the
long-term success of our company and our society.
We aspire to be the cleanest generator in
America, to conserve natural resources and to be a
strong advocate for establishing mandatory
greenhouse gas levels. More than 80 percent of the
power we generate comes from clean sources such
as nuclear and natural gas. We continue to invest in
clean technologies like combined-cycle gas turbine
plants. We also have programs in each jurisdiction
to inform and help our customers conserve energy
in their homes and businesses.
We strongly believe that greenhouse gas
emissions harm our environment. In 2001, we
became the first electric utility to commit to a
voluntary five-year target to stabilize our CO2
emissions. In 2006, we made a second five-year
commitment to voluntarily stabilize our CO2
emissions at 20 percent below year 2000 levels over
the next five years. Our actions demonstrate that it
is possible to economically stabilize greenhouse gas
emissions. Regardless of the outcome of any debate
on the climate change issue, these are actions we
should and will take now.
Our approach to climate change was recognized
in 2006 by the Carbon Disclosure Project, an
international secretariat for the world’s largest
institutional investor collaboration on the business
implications of climate change. For the third year in
a row, Entergy was named to the Climate Leadership
Index, a prestigious index for global corporations
addressing the challenges of climate change.
Members of the index were judged to be
distinguished by their strategic awareness of the
risks and opportunities of a carbon-constrained
environment as well as the quality and effectiveness
of programs put in place to reduce overall greenhouse
gas emissions. Entergy was judged among the best
in the North American electric power sector.
In another of our societal commitments, we aspire
to contribute to the eradication of extreme poverty in
the region served by our utilities. We are taking steps
to meet the needs of our low-income customers with
programs designed to improve the flow of public
funds, better manage energy usage and address the
underlying causes of poverty. Of special note in 2006
were our coordinated jurisdiction efforts to secure
increased funding for the federal Low Income Home
Energy Assistance Program. We worked to maximize
funding for Entergy states through meetings with
members of Congress and an aggressive media
campaign in all our jurisdictions. Entergy states
received over $75 million in additional LIHEAP
funding in 2006 and we made extensive outreach
efforts to our LIHEAP-eligible customers to help them
secure assistance with their bill payments. In 2006,
Entergy advocacy efforts such as these were recognized
again by the Edison Electric Institute’s Advocacy
Excellence Award – the second consecutive year we’ve
been so honored.
We faced many challenges in 2006 and made
great strides, including another record year in terms
of safety. However, our proudest day, now clearly in
sight, will be when our dedicated employees achieve
no lost-time accidents. We completed 2006 with no
fatalities and reached several safety milestones in
our operations. For example, our transmission team
of approximately 1,000 employees worked one
million hours in 2006 without a lost-time accident.
In addition, eight sites earned Star status under the
OSHA Voluntary Protection Program in 2006 –
the highest possible safety rating for an industrial
work site. As of the end of 2006, 36 of our nuclear,
fossil, distribution and transmission sites have
achieved OSHA VPP Star status.
We also aspire to a workforce that reflects the
diversity of our communities. We have a diversity
strategy that positions our company as an employer
of choice, a business partner of choice and a good
corporate citizen. The commitment to create an
Total Shareholder Return
1999-2006,%
Total Shareholder Return
2006,%
38
20
16
ETR
Philadelphia
Utility Index
S&P 500
ETR
Philadelphia
Utility Index
S&P 500
288
96
31
We aspire to
consistently deliver
top-quartile total
shareholder returns.
We restored market
confidence by
demonstrating that
Entergy’s long-term
value proposition
remained intact. As a
result,we saw Entergy
stock rebound from
post-hurricane
weaknesses and
deliver top-quartile
returns to our owners.