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Palo Alto is First California Green Power Community Recognized by Environmental Protection Agency

Release Date: 12/19/2006
Contact Information: Linda Clerkson, City of Palo Alto, (650) 329-2656; Mark Merchant, U.S. EPA, (415) 947-4297

(12/19/06 -- San Francisco) The City of Palo Alto is the first city in California, and the fourth city in the country, to be certified as a Green Power Community by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Palo Alto qualified for this certification with a two percent green power purchase collectively as a community.

“EPA applauds the City of Palo Alto for its collective green power purchasing and leadership as a green power community,” said Deborah Jordan, Director of the EPA’s Air Division in the Pacific Southwest Region. “The City’s efforts should serve as an example to other communities throughout California seeking to reduce air emissions associated with using electricity. By purchasing green power, Palo Alto is helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

To achieve EPA Green Community status, a combined effort of community member and City enrollments in the PaloAltoGreen Program was needed. To date, nearly 4,300 households and 130 businesses have enrolled in the program. Additionally, the City and the Regional Water Quality Control Plant operated by Palo Alto have committed to purchase renewable energy which results in a combined 912,000 kilowatt-hours annually of wind and solar energy for City facilities.

“Becoming an EPA-recognized Green Power Community demonstrates that supporting renewable energy and fostering the development of renewable energy technologies is not only feasible but easy. Choosing to purchase PaloAltoGreen energy supports the growing wind and solar power industry in our region and helps to reduce greenhouse gases for our families today, and into the future for our children’s children,” said Palo Alto Mayor Judy Kleinberg. “Once again, I am proud to be part of a community like Palo Alto that recognizes the need to promote sustainable energy solutions.”

Green Power Communities are a new type of Partner for EPA’s Green Power Partnership program, providing assistance and recognition to cities and their organizations that demonstrate environmental leadership by choosing to purchase renewable energy or ‘green power.’ Green Power Communities are recognized by EPA’s Green Power Partnership in areas where 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.

The City of Palo Alto remains a national leader in renewable energy use and production and is committed to innovative ideas that support renewable energy and preserve the environment.

About PaloAltoGreen
PaloAltoGreen offers residential, business and industrial utility customers the option to support the generation of electricity from 100% renewable wind and solar resources. Voluntary participants pay a low additional cost of 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. Signing up is easy. Visit www.cpau.com/programs/green/app.html or call (650) 329-2161.

About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program helping to increase the use of green power among leading U.S. organizations. The program encourages organizations
to purchase green power as a way to reduce the risk of climate change and the environmental impact associated with conventional electricity use. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, local, state, and federal governments, trade associations, as well as colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/