May 6, 2002—The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) recently announced the states cleaner electricity contract. A total of 196 State-operated facilities—from the State House in Trenton to Barnegat Lighthouse at the Shore—are purchasing cleaner and renewable electric service from Green Mountain Energy Company. The service represents 12 percent of the electricity purchased by the State government, for a total of 113 million kilowatt hours over the 15-month term of the contract. That’s equivalent to the average amount of electricity purchased in a month by approximately 173,000 homes in New Jersey.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, only three other states have implemented green power purchase programs for government-operated facilities: Maryland at six percent of the state electric load, Pennsylvania at five percent, and Tennessee at two percent.
Businesses throughout New Jersey can choose to purchase cleaner and renewable electricity thanks to the New Jersey Energy Choice program administered by the BPU.
State facilities covered under the contract will purchase Green Mountain Energy’s “Enviro Blend,” a Green-e certified product generated from renewable resources such as wind, water, biomass and solar generation. Green-e is a program of the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS), a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, CA. To receive Green-e certification, an energy product must come from at least 50% eligible renewable resources. Green Mountain Energy Company also agrees to abide by the Green-e Code of Conduct, and to meet Green-e disclosure and truth-in-advertising requirements. The company will also undergo an annual verification process.
For more information, contact the New Jersey Energy Choice program or Green Mountain Energy.
