04.04.06 Barrett Advances 'Green' Initiative for City Hall

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 4, 2006

Contact:	Eileen Force, Communications Director
	Office of Mayor Tom Barrett
	414-286-8504 (phone) 414-286-3191 (fax) eforce@milwaukee.gov

Barrett Advances "Green" Initiative for City Hall
Mayor announces city purchase of renewable energy

MILWAUKEE (April 4, 2006) – Mayor Tom Barrett will announce today that the City of Milwaukee has elected to have 10% of the electricity use at City Hall's three-building complex come from renewable energy. Beginning this month, the City will purchase 950,000 kilowatt-hours per year of renewable energy. This purchase is part of the Mayor's effort to increase environmental sustainability in the City.

"City Hall is leading the charge when it comes to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and looking out for a greener Milwaukee," said Mayor Barrett. "I encourage other local businesses and residents to explore their options for making responsible energy choices that will reduce our impact on the environment and keep fuel costs in check long term. Renewable energy is a local product. If we can encourage a growing market for renewable energy that's made in this region, we will be better off when fuel prices rise."

According to estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the ongoing purchase for City Hall will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, by 910 tons per year. This is roughly the equivalent to planting 240 acres of trees, which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The City is making this purchase as part of the We Energies Energy for Tomorrow® campaign, a voluntary program for electric customers created to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and create awareness of the environmental benefits of using renewable resources like wind, water, biomass and solar power to generate electricity. The power produced by these sources is added to the electric power pool that serves a given region. It displaces an equal amount of electricity that would be otherwise be generated from traditional fuels, such as coal, natural gas and nuclear power.

The City was able to take advantage of a recent price reduction in the cost of participating in the renewable energy program. The price of energy, including renewable energy, increased in recent years however, renewable energy increased at a lower rate. The cost to the City of participating in the renewable energy program is 1.00 cents per kilowatt-hour in addition to the normal energy charge.

For more information on renewable energy, visit www.we-energies.com/eft

-30-

This site is powered by the Northwoods Titan Content Management System