MOAB, Utah — Close isn’t good enough for Moab Mayor Dave Sakrison. On Earth Day, Sakrison petitioned the populace into helping the city become the first Blue Sky community in the nation. In addition, Utah Power filed with the Utah Public Service Commission to reduce the price of Blue Sky from $2.95 per 100-kilowatt hour block to $1.95.

Mayor Sakrison said the town is just 115 signups from achieving the "Blue Sky Community" distinction. It is earned if 5 percent of customers in Moab enroll in Utah Power’s renewable energy program. With Blue Sky, customers support clean, renewable wind energy in 100 kilowatt-hour (kwh) increments, purchased in addition to their regular monthly electric bill.

Since Utah Power launched the program in 2000, more than 5,380 Utahns have signed up to support clean, renewable wind energy development. In Moab, 111 residential customers and 25 businesses have signed up for Blue Sky as of April 11, 2003. The City of Moab is a "Visionary" supporter of Blue Sky, the highest level.

"Supporting initiatives like Blue Sky is a part of what makes Moab what it is," Sakrison said. "This is a very outdoor, clean air, recreational community. Our commitment to a better environment is a lot about who we are and what we want to be."

Buying a 100-kwh block of Blue Sky each month for a year has the same positive environmental impact as planting a third of an acre of trees or not driving a car for 1,800 miles.* Renewable energy, such as wind, solar and geothermal, has little-to-no emissions and the supply is unlimited. Wind power produces no air pollutants, wastewater, smog or acid rain. It also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"When we first introduced the Blue Sky program to the City of Moab last October, Mayor Sakrison swiftly moved towards making Moab a leader in promoting the use of clean, renewable energy," said Sarah Wright, Coordinator Utah Wind Power Campaign. "It’s individuals like Mayor Sakrison and communities like Moab that will lead the way to a cleaner energy future."

At the event, Utah Power announced that it filed a request to lower the Blue Sky price from $2.95 per 100 kilowatt-hour block to $1.95. If approved by the Utah Public Service Commission, the price will change on May 1, 2003. 

"We’re hopeful that the new, lower price for Blue Sky will spur more signups, and help Moab achieve its goal," said Debra Dull, regional community manager for Utah Power. "We were able to lower Blue Sky’s price because of greater customer participation, improved technology and the reduced cost of acquiring renewable power."

Utah Power’s parent company, PacifiCorp, has received national recognition for its renewable power efforts. Last February, the U.S. Dept. of Energy ranked PacifiCorp third in the nation for the number of customers signed up for renewable power, and sixth for the amount purchased.

"As a power company, we feel it’s important to be progressive in the development and support of renewables," explained Bill Edmonds, Utah Power’s director of environmental policy. "Blue Sky purchases are made in addition to the renewables that Utah Power already places into its system. For example, we recently announced plans to add 1,400 megawatts of new wind and geothermal resources into our energy mix in the next 10 years."

If Moab can purchase 3 percent of its energy from renewable sources, it can obtain national recognition from the EPA through its Green Power Partner Program. Carol Rushin, Assistant Regional Administrator for the Office of Enforcement, Compliance and Environmental Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was on hand to recognize Moab’s efforts.

"Wind power is one of the most promising and cost-effective renewable energy technologies available today," said Rushin. "The people of Moab not only are good stewards of the environment, they are being challenged even further — to purchase more pollution-free wind power and become both the first community to have a Blue Sky Challenge and the world's first Blue Sky community."

"To me, signing up for Blue Sky was a no-brainer," Sakrison said. "We've done a pretty good job getting to our current level of 2.5 percent. If people haven't signed up for Blue Sky yet, I'd hope that they'd come forward and pick up at least one block, if not more."

* Calculations are based on an independent analysis completed by the Northwest Power Planning council and EPA data.

For more information or to sign up for Blue Sky, call 1-800-842-8458 or e-mail bluesky@pacificorp.com . Customers can sign up on line at http://www.utahpower.net/goto/renewablepower .

For more information about EPA’s Green Power Partners program, log on to http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/join/join.htm .

About Blue Sky

Utah Power launched Blue Sky in 2000 to give customers a choice in how their energy is produced, and to allow them a part in creating demand for renewable energy resources. The program provides Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming customers the opportunity to buy renewable energy in 100-kilowatt-hour block increments, in addition to their regular monthly electric bill. Utah Power cannot guarantee that electricity from a particular facility will flow directly to a customer’s home or business. However, the company will deliver to the regional grid an amount of renewable energy equal to the amount of a customer’s block purchase. All Blue Sky purchases help support renewable energy generation. Utah Power purchases power or certificates associated with power from renewable power plants.

About the Utah Wind Power Campaign

The Utah Wind Power Campaign is a joint project of the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies, a non-profit regional environmental policy and law organization and the Utah Clean Energy Alliance, a non-profit organization promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in Utah. The goal of the campaign is to increase public awareness and use of pollution-free wind generated electricity. For more information about the campaign call (801) 673-7156 or visit www.utahgreenpower.org .

Media inquiries: newsdesk@PacifiCorp.com .