May 20--As lawmakers in Washington debate the best way to control greenhouse gases, local power suppliers say one option under consideration could significantly increase costs for their customers.

South Carolina Electric and Gas spokesman Eric Boomhower says a cap-and-trade bill before Congress has the potential to add $100 more to the average electric bill.

"That's going to be more than tough to swallow," he said. "The people need to understand how this is going to impact them."

A cap-and-trade bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., would set a cap on greenhouse gas emissions like the carbon dioxide emitted by coal-burning power plants. Companies could then reduce emissions to meet the target or buy credits from those that have reduced their emissions.

Tri-County Electric Cooperative spokesman Chad Lowder said he's heard estimates that electric bills could go up somewhere between 30 and 50 percent if Waxman's bill becomes law.

Lowder said many customers had a difficult time paying their bills last winter because of the economy.

"With cap-and-trade, it will really hurt the local person," he said.

Santee Cooper Vice President Laura Varn said energy companies would have to pay between $20 and $40 for every ton of carbon that's emitted.

"The impact to our customers would be significant with the current proposal," she said.

Local utilities are adopting a wait-and-see approach.

At the Department of Public Utilities, Manager Fred Boatwright thinks the short-term implications of a cap-and-trade system won't be too drastic. DPU purchases its power from SCE&G.

It "will cause electricity prices to go up in the long-term," he said. But until something concrete happens with the legislation, it's just speculation.

Albemarle Corp.'s Orangeburg Manager Rebecca Schmidt said her company is carefully watching the progress of the legislation.

Schmidt said Albemarle is implementing measures to reduce its energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

"We do anticipate the financial consequences will be significant to all industry, not just the chemical industry," Schmidt said.

She expects companies will have to think very hard about introducing new products if cap-and-trade becomes law.

Varn said there isn't any commercially viable technology that can effectively reduce carbon emissions right now. Industry analysts predict such technology won't available until 2020 at the earliest, she said.