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EPA LAB IS FIRST FEDERAL FACILITY POWERED SOLELY BY GREEN POWER
Release Date: 07/22/99
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FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1999
EPA LAB IS FIRST FEDERAL FACILITY POWERED
SOLELY BY GREEN POWER
SOLELY BY GREEN POWER
At a press event on July 23, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will announce electricity conversion arrangements at its laboratory in Richmond, Calif., which will be the first federal building powered solely by green power. The electricity will be generated by geothermal energy and landfill gas for one year and, after that, totally from landfill gas generation, thereby using the landfill-produced methane gas which often goes unused. Besides geothermal and landfill gas, green power can also be generated by other sources such as solar, wind, hydropower and biomass. The use of green power averts the negative environmental impacts of fossil fuel sources such as coal, which is the major source of electricity in the United States. The replacement of the electric power system was arranged under an agreement between the EPA lab and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Because of electric utility restructuring, customers increasingly have the option of choosing their electricity supplier. Since restructuring took effect in California last year, roughly half the residential consumers who have switched electricity suppliers have chosen green power, and some retailers, manufacturers, and local governments have committed to buying green power. At the July 23 press event, the General Services Administration, the federal agency that provides services for government agencies, will outline how other federal agencies can switch to green power. The federal government is the nation’s single largest electricity consumer, spending roughly $3.5 billion on electricity each year.
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