LIPA & Community Energy Announce Five Long Island Municipalities Enrolled for NewWind Energy® Purchases Encourages Long Island to Join LIPA’s “Green Choice” Program Riverhead, NY—March 23, 2005—The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), in concert with local elected officials, representatives of Community Energy, and Long Island environmental advocates, announced today the enrollment of the towns of Southampton, Southold, East Hampton, Riverhead, and Shelter Island in LIPA’s Green Choice Program. These East End communities are leading the charge to achieve a goal of enrolling some 25,000 LIPA customers, or the energy equivalent of 173 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable power, in the Green Choice Power program over the next two years. LIPA’s Green Choice Program – part of Governor George Pataki’s statewide effort to promote renewable energy technologies – encourages the sale of the “environmental attributes” associated with renewable energy resources by Green Power Marketers to LIPA’s customers. The program, available to LIPA customers only on a voluntary basis, will foster the development and sale of electricity generated from renewable energy resources such as wind, hydropower and bioenergy. “LIPA is very pleased by the enthusiastic response from our customers regarding the Green Choice Program,” said LIPA Chairman Richard M. Kessel. “This is another example of Long Island’s progressive and proactive thinking that will help protect our environment and ease our dependence on fossil fuels.” The five Long Island municipalities are already purchasing over eight million kilowatt hours (kWh) of New York wind energy. They join more than 750 residential customers who are paying a small premium for pollution-free NewWind Energy through LIPA’s Green Choice Program. The Suffolk County municipal leaders challenged Long Island residential, business, non-profit, and other municipal electricity customers to join them in creating the consumer demand for more wind power in New York. The Town of Southampton recently purchased wind energy to supply 100% of the Town’s municipal needs. “I am pleased that the Town of Southampton is working with Community Energy and LIPA to utilize wind power as a renewable energy source," said Supervisor Patrick Heaney. "I look forward to continuing to consider alternative energy resources for our municipal needs." A common reason for purchasing renewable wind power is due to the immediate need to reduce the county’s dependency on foreign oil. "In the face of a declining environment, depleting natural resources and dependence on international petroleum, it is high time to choose clean air and self sufficiency - it is high time to harness the wind for our energy needs," said Joshua Horton, Supervisor of the Town of Southold. Riverhead leaders want others to follow their lead. “I am very proud that the Town of Riverhead is leading by example, with all of the turmoil and unrest in the Middle East and throughout the world, it is imperative that America utilize alternative energy sources such as wind power”, said Eddie Densieski, Riverhead Town Councilman. The Riverhead Town Council passed a resolution to purchase 50% of the Town’s electricity from wind power - over 3.3 million kwhs per year. Others see the fixed cost profile of fuel-free wind power as a step toward reducing the price volatility of fossil fuels. "The more we as communities are burdened by the rising cost of traditional energy sources, the more cost effective wind energy will become in the future", added Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., Village of East Hampton. Wind energy supplier Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) joined the public officials, LIPA Chairman Richard Kessel, and environmental groups (who are also wind energy customers), to encourage the use of clean, emission-free wind power. Community Energy will track the wind purchase commitments throughout Long Island, and plans to announce the results in the near future. “Customers who sign up for NewWind Energy® are leading the way to a safer, cleaner, and more secure energy future," said Ron Kamen, CEI’s NYS Director. “The more customers who buy wind energy, the more wind farms we bring on-line.” Kamen urged all LIPA customers to look in their March electric bill for the insert that describes the Green Choice program, and to return the sign-up card for their own purchase of NewWind Energy. Environmental organizations on Long Island support the renewable choices being made by the municipalities. “Pollution-free wind energy is taking off in New York, and we hope the public continues its support by paying the small premium necessary to help build the demand for more clean energy projects”, said Gordian Raacke, Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island (RELI). “I commend our elected officials and all Green Choice customers who have demonstrated real leadership, and thank them for setting the example to improve air quality for Long Island residents”, added Raacke. Kamen noted that “New York State currently has 48 Megawatts (MWs) of wind power being generated on three upstate wind farms, but that New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) studies have found that New York’s wind resources could supply 10,000 MWs of power, or 20% of the state’s electrical needs”. A state-of-the-art commercial wind turbine produces enough electricity to power 500 average-size New York homes. The combined Suffolk County municipal wind power purchases amount to a cumulative total of the electrical output of more than two of the twenty wind turbines located at the 30 MW Fenner Wind Power Project, New York’s largest wind farm. Event participants encouraged residents to purchase wind energy by calling Community Energy at 1-866-WIND-123; or by logging onto www.NewWindEnergy.com. * * * * Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) is a leading marketer of wind-generated electricity, under the NewWind Energy® brand. CEI markets power from 200 MW of wind energy on-line in New York and the Mid-Atlantic. CEI partners with retail electric suppliers, such as LIPA, to offer a wind energy choice directly to consumers. CEI cites its partners and customers, which include over 10,000 in New York State and many of the largest retail purchasers of wind energy in the country, as the reason for its success in bringing wind energy to market in new regions of the country. CEI has wind projects under development in several states east of the Mississippi River, and nationally has over 2 billion kilowatt hours of wind energy sales. LIPA, a non-profit electric utility, owns the retail electric system on Long Island and provides electric service to nearly 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA does not own any electric generation assets on Long Island Note: B-roll and electronic photos of windmills and the wind farm in Fenner, NY are available. Please contact Marion Trieste, (518) 584-7817 or cell: (518) 796-9241. ### Contact Information: Press Release 03/23/05 6:35 PM Eastern |
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