EPA Honors Moab Area Community As Nation's First Green Power Community
Nov 05 - PRNewswire
MOAB, Utah, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Utah's Greater Moab Community will be recognized this weekend as the nation's first Green Power Community. In August 2004, the City of Moab, Castle Valley, Pack Creek Ranch, and Spanish Valley, Utah became the first community in the nation to meet and exceed the EPA Green Power Partnership's minimum benchmark for green power usage with voluntary purchases.
Green Power Communities are a new type of Partner for EPA's Green Power
Partnership, which provides assistance and recognition to organizations that
demonstrate environmental leadership by choosing green power. Green Power
Communities are recognized by EPA's Green Power Partnership for having area
homes, businesses, organizations and local governments voluntarily commit to
switch a portion of their collective electric power usage to green power through
individual and organizational purchases.
Moab will be officially recognized by the EPA's Green Power Partnership on
Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Annual Moab Folk Festival. During a public ceremony,
Matt Clouse, director of the EPA's Green Power Partnership, will present the
Mayor of the City of Moab and the Mayor of Castle Valley with plaques and a
banner to recognize this milestone.
By having 4 percent of the Moab Area Community's electricity offset by green
power, EPA estimates the environmental benefit is equivalent to avoiding the
generation of 4 million pounds of carbon dioxide or planting roughly 750 acres
of trees.
"We are honored and excited to be 'first in the nation' as a green power
community," commented Moab Mayor David Sakrison. "This designation
clearly symbolizes our community's commitment to both the development of
renewable energy technologies and protecting our environment."
The City of Moab's municipal government was recognized by the EPA and the
U.S. Department of Energy in 2003 with a Green Power Leadership Award for its
exemplary purchase of green power.
"Moab's leadership has set the stage for other communities," said
Sarah Wright executive director of Utah Clean Energy. "We hope the
enthusiasm and dedication of the Moab community will spread."
"To become the first EPA-designated Green Power Community in the nation
is a testimony to environmental ethic of this wonderful town," said Rich
Walje, Utah Power executive vice president. "It was the efforts of Mayor
Dave Sakrison and other Moab leaders that made this campaign a real
success."
The green power campaign in the Greater Moab Area was led by the Moab Green
Power Steering Committee, which is made up of citizens, business leaders, and
public officials and was aided by Utah Clean Energy and Utah Power.
Green power is electricity generated from renewable energy sources -- wind,
solar, geothermal, eligible biomass and eligible hydropower. The Moab Area
Community is purchasing green power generated from wind power.
Photo opportunities will be available at the event on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2004
at 3:30 p.m. during the recognition ceremony. The event will take place at Moab
Folk Festival Synergy Stage, Moab Ball Field, intersection of Center Street and
200 East, Moab, UT. Official photographs will be available after Sunday, Nov. 7,
2004.
More information about the Green Power Partnership is available at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/
. The media contact for the U.S. EPA's Green Power Partnership is Matt Clouse,
202.343.9004.
All news releases can be found at http://yosemite.epa.gov/R8/R8Media.nsf
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
CONTACT: Matt Clouse, +1-202-343-9004, Frank Montarelli,+1-303-312-6780, or
Wendy Chipp, +1-303-312-6603, all of the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, or
EPA General Inquiries, +1-800-227-8917
Web site: http://www.epa.gov/greenpowerhttp://yosemite.epa.gov/R8/R8Media.nsf