As energy companies strategize for upcoming regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, Dallas power company Energy Future Holdings still doesn't have a plan.

Some power companies are adding new plants that use carbon-free fuel, such as wind power or nuclear reactors.

But Energy Future Holdings, the former TXU Corp., is building three coal-fired power plants, the most carbon-intensive types of plants.

To get some advice on the issue, as well as other environmental concerns, the company named members of a Sustainable Energy Advisory Board on Tuesday.

William Reilly, chairman of the advisory board and a member of the Energy Future corporate board, said it's too early to set a strategy for regulations that haven't been passed yet.

But company executives are discussing the problem.

"I don't know how it's going to shake out. You can't really come up with a strategy here," Mr. Reilly said on a conference call Tuesday with reporters.

The former Environmental Protection Agency administrator said he doubts new rules would go into effect before 2011.

Most observers think Congress will require companies to buy credits for the carbon dioxide they emit, and some anticipate a law as early as next year.

Mr. Reilly said that Energy Future supports the idea of requiring emitters to buy credits for carbon dioxide but that the company's actions will depend on how credits are allocated.

If carbon dioxide emitters get credits for all of their current emissions, he said, those companies face a much different decision than if they don't get any free credits.

The new advisory board will help with the decision, but only by offering advice.

The group will meet in private four times a year and offer confidential advice to the Energy Future corporate board, which can take the advice or ignore it.

Energy Future will pay advisory board members $10,000 a year, plus expenses.

Two board members, Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson and the Texas regional director of Environmental Defense Fund, Jim Marston, won't take the money. Mr. Marston asked Energy Future to give the fee to a charity, the Central Texas Clean Air Force.

Other board members are:

•Ralph Cavanagh, co-director of Natural Resources Defense Council's energy program.

•Reginald Gates, president of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce.

•Karen Johnson, chief executive of United Ways of Texas.

•Sam Jones, former chief executive of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

•Steven Specker, chief executive of the Electric Power Research Institute.

•A member to be named in consultation with the Texas Association of Manufacturers.

Mr. Reilly said advisory board members will soon get a presentation on various power plant technology from Energy Future chief executive John Young.

He pointed out that Energy Future already buys more wind power than anyone else in Texas and is considering building more nuclear reactors and clean-coal plants.

"We will get into all of the obvious choices that the company has and look at the environmental attractiveness or consequences, the economics, the social impacts, that some of these choices have, and give some of our views on how to proceed," Mr. Reilly said.