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D.C. Makes Top 20 List of Local Government Green Power Purchasers

Release Date: 08/02/2010
Contact Information: Donna Heron 215-814-5113 / [email protected]

(PHILADELPHIA – August 2, 2010) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the District of Columbia for the first time appears as No. 3 on EPA's Top 20 Local Government list of the largest green power purchasers.

“The District is to be congratulated for demonstrating by example the importance of utilizing green power,” said EPA mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “Their successful participation in EPA’s Green Power Partnership program is helping to reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use nationwide.”

The District of Columbia is purchasing more than 244 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 50 percent of the organization's electricity use. The District is buying a utility green power product from Washington Gas Energy Services. This demonstrates a proactive choice to switch away from traditional sources of electricity generation and support cleaner renewable energy alternatives.

In addition to its listing on the Top 20 Local Government list, the District of Columbia also ranks No. 14 on the National Top 50 list.

This purchase also qualifies the District of Columbia for EPA’s Green Power Leadership Club, a distinction given to organizations that have significantly exceeded EPA’s minimum purchase requirements. Green Power Leadership Club members must purchase 10 times the partnership’s minimum requirement organization-wide.

According to the EPA, the District’s green power purchase of more than 244 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of nearly 34,000 passenger vehicles per year or the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of more than 21,000 average American homes annually.

EPA released its entire list of top 50 Green Power Partners today. EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,200 partner organizations to voluntarily purchase green power to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity use. Overall, EPA’s Green Power Partners are using more than 17 billion kWh of green power annually, equivalent to the CO2 emissions from electricity use of more than 1.5 million average American homes.

Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydropower. Green power resources produce electricity with an environmental profile superior to conventional power technologies and produce no net increase to greenhouse gas emissions. Purchases of green power also help accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide.

More information on the national top 50 list is available at: https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top50.htm and more information on EP EPA’s Green Power Partnership, visit https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/.