HOUSTON TABBED AS NO. 1 CITY IN THE NATION PURCHASING GREEN POWER

July 28, 2008 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today has announced that The City of Houston has become the nation's No. 1 municipal purchaser of green power (www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top10localgov.htm). Also, the City ranked No. 9 in the nation among the top 25 public- and private-sector purchasers, according to the EPA (www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top25.htm).

These rankings demonstrate the City's commitment to its stated goals of protecting the environment and managing utility costs wisely, and builds upon its existing partnership with the EPA's Green Power Partnership. The City of Houston is now purchasing more than 350 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually.

"Houston is proud to be recognized as a leader and good steward in this area," said Mayor White. "It makes sense environmentally and, with the rising costs of energy, it makes good economic sense. This and energy conservation measures mean real savings to taxpayers, even at a time when the city continues to grow dramatically."

The EPA updated each of its National Top Partner lists, highlighting some of America's largest green power purchasers. Each list highlights EPA Green Power Partners that have completed the largest annual voluntary purchases through July 8, 2008. EPA updates its Top Partner Lists quarterly at www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/.

Through the City's innovative wind power contract, the City was able to purchase green power at a lower rate than rising conventional energy. The price of electricity will be fixed at 7.5 cents per kWh, representing significant savings for taxpayers.

The City expects to use as much as 1.7 billion kWh of this renewable energy in the next five years. This is equivalent to the amount needed, for example, to power 28,000 homes each year. It also helps reduce the need to build more expensive power plants for the region's rising energy needs.

This purchase has qualified the City of Houston for the EPA's Green Power Leadership Club; a distinction given to organizations that have purchased a significant percentage of their total load as green power. The City of Houston is currently buying enough green power to meet over 25 percent of its total purchased electricity use across its operations.

Houston residents interested in changing their personal power source to green energy can go to www.houstonconsumerchoice.com to look into green power options for their own homes.

In addition, residents can find more information about going green on the City's new Green Houston Web site. www.greenhoustontx.gov.