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City of Boston joins EPA Green Power Partnership - Boston Will Make the Largest Local Government Green Power Purchase in New England

Release Date: 03/15/2006
Contact Information: Paula Ballentine, EPA (617) 918-1027 Jennifer B. Mehigan, City of Boston (617) 635-4461

(Boston, Mass. - Mar. 15, 2006) - Today EPA announced that the City of Boston has joined its Green Power Partnership by purchasing more green power than any local government in New England. Mayor Menino formally made this announcement at the 31st annual Northeast Sustainable Energy Association Conference last week, at Boston’s Seaport World Trade Center.

“I’m proud that Boston has been recognized by the U.S. EPA for its leadership in environmental quality and energy,” said Mayor Menino. “We will continue to develop innovative clean energy strategies to improve our environment and the quality of life in all of our neighborhoods.”

Green power is an environmentally friendly electricity product generated from renewable energy sources. The City of Boston will purchase over 8 percent of the city’s electric load, or 17,300 megawatt hours (MWh) of green energy per year, from Constellation New Energy.

EPA's Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that seeks to increase the use of clean, renewable energy sources among leading U.S. organizations. Partners in the program purchase green power in an amount that must meet or exceed EPA benchmarks and in return receive EPA technical assistance and recognition. EPA’s Green Power Partnership currently has more than 600 Partners, including Fortune 500 companies, states, federal agencies, trade associations and universities.

“These EPA partners help diversify this country’s energy supply by promoting alternative and renewable energy sources,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “The City is to be commended for voluntarily choosing to use green power – helping to improve air quality and reduce dependence on foreign sources of energy.”

The City of Boston’s purchase of 17,300 megawatt hours (MWh) will avoid emissions of nearly 8,000 annual tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change. According to the EPA, the environmental benefit of this action is the equivalent of removing the emissions of nearly 1400 cars from the road. The purchase represents enough electricity to power both City Hall and the Tobin Community Center.

“This is yet another example of how Mayor Menino is using the purchasing power of the City to improve our environment,” said James W. Hunt, III, Chief of Environment and Energy for the City of Boston. “Green power significantly improves local air quality and the respiratory health of our residents, while at the same time reducing green house gas emissions that contribute to global climate change.”

Boston joins the growing list of cities and states belonging to EPA’s Green Power Partnership including Boulder, CO; Chicago, IL, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, and San Diego, CA; Portland, OR; Moab, UT; the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and the state of Illinois. The entire list can be found at www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/gpp_partners.htm.