January 23,2002
Page A3
®J|c 'JjJortlanù (ßbseruer
PGE and Pacific Power Offer 100 Percent ‘Green’ Power
C u s to m e r s o f P a c if ic
Pow er and Portland G eneral
Electric (PGE) can sign up for
100 percent renew able elec
tricity options for the first time.
T he utilities are offering a
salmon-friendly plan through
G reen M ountain Energy Co.
in addition to the “green” elec
tricity options already sold.
G reen M o u n tain is the
nation’s largest residential pro-
viderofcleanerelec tricity.
O regon’s new electricity in
dustry restru ctu rin g law re
quires that the utilities provide
custom ers w ith electric ser
vice options.
E le c tric ity fro m G reen
M ountain is co n sid ered 100
percent pollu tio n -free be
cause it is gen erated from a
combination o f wind and geo
therm al sources.
G eotherm al electric plants
derive their energy from natu
rally occurring reservoirs o f
hot w ater and steam below
the earth ’s surface. The wind
pow er will com e from the Pa
cific Northwest.
The electricity choices in
clude three renew able pow er
options:
1) R enew able U sage O p
tio n — G reen M o u n tain
E n e rg y sm e le c tric ity . T his
pollu tio n -free o p tion is 100
p e rc e n t re n e w a b le and is
b ased on actual usage. C u s
to m e rs w ho sign up for this
option will buy all theirelec-
t r i c i t y fro m r e n e w a b le
so u rc e s and it w ill av erag e
about $6-8 m ore per h o u se
hold per m onth.
2) Habitat O ption— Green
M ountain Energytm Salmon-
Friendly Plan. This offering
takes the renew able product,
above, and adds salmon habi
tat protection. Pacific Pow er
custom ers w ho choose this
option will pay an additional
$2.50 each month; P G E cus-
O r e g o n ' s E lectricity R estructuring P lan
What you
need to know
about your new
energy options.
For customers of Pacific Power, new energy
options take effect March 1, 2002.
Why is this happening?
Will rates still be regulated?
Legislation requiring electricity industry restructuring
was signed into law in 1999. As a result, customers
of Pacific Power will soon have a variety of options
to choose from. For example, if the environment is
important to you, there is an option that earmarks a
portion of your bill for restoring fish habitat or for
supporting renewable resources. There is also an
option in which your electricity rate would be based
on when you use your power. Your new options
will vary according to your energy provider.
Yes, all residential rates offered by Pacific Power
will continue to be regulated by the OPUC,
which regulates rates to ensure that customers
receive reliable service at a reasonable cost.
What if I don't want to change?
You don't have to. You may select a new energy option
or do nothing and stay with your existing service.
As a residential customer, can I buy
electricity from other companies?
No. The law requires residential customers to continue
to buy electricity from the company that serves them
now. However, your existing utility will be providing
you with a number of new energy options from which
you may choose. In addition, business customers may be
able to choose an alternative Electricity Service Supplier.
What makes this different from
deregulation in California?
There are a number of ways Oregon's approach to
restructuring differs from California's attempts to
deregulate. For example, unlike California, Oregon's
utilities will not be required to sell their electricity
generating plants. In addition, Oregon's utilities will
continue to be allowed to acquire power through
long-term contracts.
When do I have to act?
Residential customers
don't have to do anything
«
now. Look for a special brochure in the mail that
will explain your new options in greater detail.
You can also find out more on the Web at
www.MyPowerOptions.com.
How will I find out exactly
what these new options are
and how much they will cost?
In the coming weeks, you'll receive a special brochure
in the mail that will explain your new choices in
further detail and provide you with complete infor
mation about pricing, environmental impact, and
benefits. If you do decide to choose one of the new
options, we'll tell you how.
e
PACIFIC PO W ER
F in d o u t m o re a t w w w .M y P o w e r O p t io n s .c o m
t
tom ers will pay an additional
kilowatt-hour charge that will
average close to $ 1.90 per
m onth. The additional p ay
ments will godirectly to salmon
habitat restoration projects
su p p o rted by the P acific
Salm on W atershed Fund.
H ouseholds that sign up for
this option will pay on average
$8-10 m ore per m onth.
3) F ixed R e n e w a b le O p
tion — C lean W in d sm and
Blue Skysm products. In a d
d itio n to the tw o G reen
M ountain Energysm electric-
ity o p tio n s , T h e C le a n
W in d sm and B lue S k y sm
products currently being of
fered to P G E and P acific
Pow er custom ers will still be
a v ailab le. B o th o f these
products allow custom ers to
buy fix ed am o u n ts o f c lean
new wind power every month
th at is in a d d itio n to th e ir
basic electricity service.
B y p u r c h a s in g G re e n
M ountain Energysm electric
ity, the average household in
O regon can avoid contribut
ing about 1,750 pounds o f
carbon dioxide (C O 2) into
the air each year, a significant
reduction.
“By choosing Green M oun
tain Energysmelectricity, con
sum ers and b u sinesses are
able to personally support the
O regon environm ent, help
keep O regon clean and even
help restore salm on habitats,”
said K aren N orris, O regon
m arketing director for G reen
M ountain Energy Co.
Betsy K auffm an, program
m anager, For the Sake o f the
Salm on, said the m onies allo
cated to her non-profit group
will m ake a trem endous d if
ference in efforts to
help restore salm on h ab i
tat.
“It’s great for O regonians
to have the opportunity to buy
pow er that d oesn’ t harm fish
and doesn’t pollute,” she said.
Downtown
Retail
Strategy
Wanted
The Portland Development
C om m ission and the A sso
ciation for Portland Progress
have chosen a San Francisco
agency to prepare a retail
strategy for dow ntow n Port
land.
The firm , E conom ic R e
search A ssociates, will work
with a Portland steering com
m ittee com prised o f busi
nesses and retailers to p re
pare a plan that responds to
the considerable strengths,
w eaknesses, opportunities
and challenges facing dow n
town retail.
T he strategy w ill accom
plish the following: 1) identify
the appropriate type, mix and
location o f various types o f
retail to enhance dow ntow n’s
retail destination status in the
region, 2) develop an im ple
m entation plan for the retail
strategy, and 3)determine spe
cific recommendations for im
m ediate, short and long term
action items.
7Z\C III
j.lnt tl.inh lUhscvui r
5 0 3 .2 8 8 .0 0 3 3
adsC^por tlandobserver.com
i