PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Power and Portland General
Electric (PGE) residential and small business customers can begin signing up
today for 100 percent renewable electricity options being supplied by Green
Mountain Energy Company. Two of the utilities' renewable power options --
including a Salmon-Friendly Plan -- are available to their customers through
Green Mountain Energy Company in addition to the "green" products currently
being offered by the utilities. Green Mountain Energy Company
(http://www.greenmountain.com ) is the nation's largest residential provider of
cleaner electricity.
These new 100 percent renewable, environmentally-preferred options are
available under Oregon's new electricity industry restructuring law, also
known as Senate Bill 1149, which requires that the utilities provide customers
with a portfolio of options for their electric service. The Oregon
restructuring law takes effect on March 1, 2002, but customers will start
receiving information and enrollment forms in the mail in January. The
mailing to small business and residential customers starts today and will
continue through February. All Pacific Power and PGE customers will receive
their enrollment ballots by late February.
Green Mountain Energy(SM) electricity will be 100 percent pollution free,
and generated from a combination of wind and geothermal sources. Geothermal
electric plants derive their energy from naturally occurring reservoirs of hot
water and steam below the earth's surface. The wind power will come from the
Pacific Northwest.
The portfolio of electricity choices includes three renewable power
options that PGE and Pacific Power customers can now choose from:
1. Renewable Usage Option -- Green Mountain Energy(SM) electricity. This
pollution-free option is 100 percent renewable and is based on actual
usage. Customers who sign up for this option will buy all their
electricity from renewable sources and it will average about $6-8 more
per household per month. (See pricing grid, below.)
2. Habitat Option -- Green Mountain Energy(SM) Salmon-Friendly Plan.
This offering takes the Renewable product, above, and adds salmon habitat
protection. Customers make a monthly contribution to the Pacific Salmon
Watershed Fund (PSWF) included on their electricity bill. Pacific Power
customers who choose this option will pay an additional $2.50, each
month; PGE customers will pay an additional kilowatt-hour charge that
will average close to $1.90 per month. The additional payments will go
directly to projects that restore salmon habitat. PSWF is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit fund established by For the Sake of the Salmon that is
dedicated to salmon habitat restoration and protection. Households that
sign up for this option will pay on average $8-10 more per month. This
option is similar to, and replaces, PGE's original Salmon-Friendly Power
program. (See pricing grid, below.)
3. Fixed Renewable Option -- Clean Wind(SM) and Blue Sky(SM) products.
In addition to the two Green Mountain Energy(SM) electricity options, The
Clean Wind(SM) and Blue Sky(SM) products currently being offered to PGE
and Pacific Power customers respectively will still be available. Both
of these products allow customers to buy fixed amounts of clean new wind
power every month that is in addition to their basic electricity service.
(See pricing grid, below.)
By purchasing Green Mountain Energy(SM) electricity, the average household
in Oregon can avoid contributing about 1,750 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2)
into the air each year. This is a significant reduction in the amount of CO2
an average household emits in a year.
"By choosing Green Mountain Energy(SM) electricity, consumers and
businesses are able to personally support the Oregon environment, help keep
Oregon clean, and even help restore salmon habitats," said Karen Norris,
Oregon marketing director for Green Mountain Energy Company. "This is a win-
win for Oregonians because they get to choose where their electricity comes
from, but they don't have to switch from the utility they know and trust.
Because Oregon is such an environmentally progressive state, we expect large
numbers of customers to sign up for these 'green' energy options."
"We are thrilled to see these environmental and salmon-friendly power
options available to customers," said Betsy Kauffman, program manager, For the
Sake of the Salmon. "The direct funds allocated to the Pacific Salmon
Watershed Fund make a tremendous difference in our efforts to help restore
salmon habitat. It's great for Oregonians to have the opportunity to buy
power that doesn't harm fish and doesn't pollute."
Customers can begin signing up for these renewable power choices
immediately or as soon as their enrollment forms arrive in the mail. Those
interested in signing up can do so via mail, fax, or the Web.
-- Pacific Power -- Customers can mail signed enrollment forms to Pacific
Power New Option Enrollment, P.O. Box 400, Portland, OR 97207-0400 or
fax them to 1-800-835-0836 or go to
http://www.pacificpower.net/pages/Navigation1845.html for more
information on the Web. Those with questions can call Pacific Power
Customer Service at 1-800-769-3717.
-- Portland General Electric -- PGE customers can mail signed enrollment
forms to Portland General Electric, PO Box 4404, Portland, OR 97204;
fax to 503-464-7213; or enroll via the Web at
http://www.PortlandGeneral.com/PowerOptions . Customers with questions can
also call the PGE Customer Service Center at 1-800-542-8818.
The new pricing options will officially become available March 1, 2002.
These options are available to PGE and Pacific Power customers for an
unlimited amount of time. Customers can enroll in one of these options at
anytime.
Pricing Grid
Electric Company Renewable Usage Habitat Product: Fixed Renewable
Product: Green Mountain Product:
Green Mountain Energy(SM)
Energy(SM) Salmon-Friendly
electricity Plan
Pacific Power Basic Service Basic Service Blue Sky
+ 0.78 cents/kWh + 0.78 cents/kWh Basic Service
(or $0.0078) + $2.50 per month + $2.95 per
for salmon 100-kWh block
each month
(Multiple blocks
can be purchased)
PGE Basic Service Basic Service Clean Wind
+ 0.80 cents/kWh + 0.80 cents/kWh Basic Service
(or $0.008) + 0.19 cents/kWh + $3.50 per
for salmon 100-kWh block
each month
(Multiple blocks
can be purchased)
About Green Mountain Energy Company
Green Mountain Energy Company (http://www.greenmountain.com ) is the nation's
largest and fastest growing residential provider of less-polluting electricity
generated from sources including wind, solar, water, geothermal, biomass and
natural gas. The company is also the provider of the leading brand of cleaner
electricity in states that have a competitively deregulated market. Nearly
500,000 customers in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania
and Texas have chosen Green Mountain Energy Company as their electricity
provider. The Austin, Texas-based Company was founded in September of 1997 to
change the way power is made.
About For the Sake of the Salmon and the Pacific Salmon Watershed Fund
For the Sake of the Salmon (FSOS) is a regional salmon recovery
organization formed in 1995 to build consensus on salmon management issues and
to support local stewardship of salmon, rivers and surrounding lands in the
Pacific region. FSOS's members, representing the Pacific region's diverse
interests and views on salmon recovery, do not take an advocacy position on
water rights issues. FSOS formed the Pacific Salmon Watershed Fund (PSWF) to
provide funding for habitat restoration projects. As a partner in PGE's
Salmon-Friendly Power program, PSWF has raised more than $175,000 for salmon
habitat restoration projects in the Johnson Creek, Sandy River, Scappoose Bay,
and South Yamhill watersheds. Typical projects include culvert removal and
replacement, non-native species removal, and installation of fencing to keep
livestock out of small streams. For more information about FSOS or the Salmon
Friendly plan, visit http://www.4sos.org .
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SOURCE Green Mountain Energy Company
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