LINCOLN CITY, Ore. – Lincoln City’s challenge to its citizens to support renewable energy began on Earth Day and ended on Halloween, but for the environment, it was all treats and no tricks.

           “This has been a great experience for our community,” said Mayor Lori Hollingsworth, who initiated work on the challenge early in 2007. “Not only has Lincoln Cityestablished itself as a leader among small cities in sustainability, but through the Blue Sky renewable energy program, we have had a tangible effect on improving the world around us.”

            Co-sponsored by Pacific Power and the Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce, the community challenge reached its goal in June, just six weeks after being formally announced. At that time, Lincoln Citybecame the 10th Green Power Community in the nation to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The award is given to communities where government and private citizens commit community-wide to purchasing at least 4 percent of the community’s total electrical energy load from renewable sources.

            Lincoln City customers chose Blue Sky, the renewable energy program offered by Pacific Power. Successes, such as the Lincoln Citychallenge, led to Blue Sky being recognized nationally in October as 2007 Green Power Program of the Year by the U.S. Department of Energy and EPA.

           “The people, businesses and city of Lincoln Cityall deserve a big hand,” said Doris Johnston, regional community manager for Pacific Power. “This shows what a smaller city can do when it sets ambitious goals for itself and then really follows through. Lincoln City showed what it means to act locally for global benefit.”

            The numbers are impressive. Overall, sign-ups surpassed the initial goal by nearly 200 enrollments or 150 percent of the original goal. During the challenge, business customer participation increased a significant 135 percent and residential participation increased by 81 percent.  

            Today, the 519 households and 40 Lincoln City businesses enrolled in Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program are having a positive environmental impact. These purchases avoid creating 5,004 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, which has the same environmental benefit as taking 858 cars off the road or planting 1,966 acres of trees.

            Organizers will celebrate the challenge’s conclusion Nov. 3 at the annual Lincoln City Breakfast & Birds event, sponsored by Pacific Power and the Audubon Society of Lincoln City.

           “The formal challenge may be complete, but the effort is never really over,” said Johnston. “We hope customers in Lincoln City and throughout the Northwest will continue to use the Blue Sky program to promote renewable energy.”

            Blue Sky renewable energy comes from new, pollution-free wind, biomass and solar projects, the majority of which are based in the Pacific Northwest. These facilities help offset emissions from traditional generation sources and stimulate even more investment in new renewable generation facilities.

            Customers have a range of options when it comes to buying Blue Sky renewable energy: Blue Sky Block, Usage or Habitat. Buying just one, 100 kilowatt-hour increment of Blue Sky Block costs only $1.95 per month. Customers can buy as many blocks as they wish. Blue Sky Usage allows customers to offset all of their energy usage with renewable resources for 78 cents per kilowatt-hour, while with Blue Sky Habitat, customers buy renewable energy at the same rate as Blue Sky Usage plus make a donation to The Nature Conservancy of Oregon to preserve native fish habitat. Large customers can buy renewable power in bulk at a discount through Blue Sky QS. Participation is optional, and customers can increase their participation or withdraw at any time.

            Customers who want to sign up for a renewable power option can call Pacific Power at 800-769-3717 or visit www.pacificpower.net/bluesky .

About Blue Sky

The strong support of Pacific Power customers has led to the Blue Sky program being named 2007 Green Power Program of Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. The program also has ranked second in the nation for the third consecutive year in the number of customers buying renewable power and fourth for renewable energy sales volume for 2006. The company has ranked in the top five in these categories for the past several years. More than 32,000 customers in the Northwest are part of Blue Sky.

About Pacific Power

Pacific Power strives to promote innovation and works with customers and communities to increase the visibility of renewable energy generation technologies through education and community outreach. Pacific Power is headquartered in Portlandand provides electric service to more than 713,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. As part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, Pacific Power and Rocky Mountain Power provide approximately 1.7 million customers in six western states with reliable, efficient energy. The company works to meet growing energy demand while protecting and enhancing the environment.