TREMONTON, Utah — It’s no surprise that a county named for the area’s plentiful Box Elder trees would want its community events to take place in harmony with nature. To help keep the Box Elder County Fair and Rodeo environmentally friendly, Rocky Mountain Power is "greening" the annual event with Blue Sky renewable energy for a second consecutive year.

The utility is providing 39 megawatt-hours of energy from the recently developed Judith Gap wind project in Montana to offset the fair and rodeo’s electricity use. The annual event takes place Aug. 22-25.

"Wind is an attractive energy source in part because it replenishes itself and produces no emissions," said George Humbert, customer and community manager for Rocky Mountain Power. "Blue Sky provides our customers with a simple and convenient way to encourage new renewable energy development and is helping to keep the Box Elder County Fair and Rodeo’s electricity use pollution-free again this year."

The 39 megawatt-hours of renewable wind energy purchased on behalf of the Box Elder County Fair and Rodeo is equivalent to the amount of electricity consumed by about 50 typical Utah homes in one month’s time. Rocky Mountain Power’s "greening" of the event will offset 78,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, providing environmental benefits similar to planting more than 15 acres of trees or not driving 83,557 miles.

The utility is buying the renewable energy from the Judith Gap wind project, located in Harlowton, Montana. The 135-megawatt facility includes 90 wind turbines and began producing electricity in December 2005. Each turbine can provide enough renewable energy for approximately 350 to 400 homes.

Humbert explained that while Rocky Mountain Power already includes renewable energy in its generation mix used to provide power to its customers, Blue Sky is a way to bring even more renewable energy into the system. Customers can buy Blue Sky in 100-kilowatt-hour blocks for $1.95 for each, in addition to their regular monthly electricity bill. Business customers can save on larger purchases. Enrollment is optional and customers can increase their participation or withdraw from the program at any time.

Blue Sky is one of the most popular green-power programs in the U.S., ranking second in the nation for the number of customers enrolled. In Utah, more than 21,800 residential and business customers buy Blue Sky renewable energy. More than 57,000 customers buy Blue Sky in the Western U.S. The program enables customers to help bring more renewable energy into the region.

For more information about Blue Sky, or to sign up, call toll free at 800-769-3717 or visit www.rockymountainpower.net/bluesky .

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