Press Release: Energize Vermont Commends Call to Investigate Green Mountain Power’s Deceptive Practices

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 15, 2014

Contact: Mark Whitworth

802.424.0540

Email: Mark@energizevermont.org

Energize Vermont Commends Call to Investigate Green Mountain Power’s Deceptive Practices

East Burke, Vermont—Energize Vermont commends Bruce Post, Curt McCormack, Charles Johnson and Kevin Jones for their filing of a formal petition requesting “that the Federal Trade Commission initiate an investigation and take appropriate enforcement action in relation to certain deceptive trade practices by Green Mountain Power Corporation (‘GMP’) that,…are misleading and harming Vermont electricity consumers.”

The petition focuses on GMP’s practice of selling renewable energy credits while, at the same time, representing its electricity as “renewable.”

Mark Whitworth, Executive Director of Energize Vermont said, “In our view, GMP’s sales of renewable energy credits result in an increase of greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to climate change. It is the position of Energize Vermont that climate change presents Vermonters with two moral imperatives:

1. Preserve intact ecosystems in order to enable plant and animal species to adapt to climate change.
2. Reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.”

Whitworth continued, “GMP has violated both imperatives. They have destroyed an intact ecosystem in Lowell in order to build an industrial wind power plant. By GMP’s own calculation, the Lowell power plant will, over its lifetime, offset an amount of carbon equivalent to that emitted by fewer than ten days of New York City traffic. We contend that, when all emissions associated with the manufacture, construction, operation, and decommissioning of the Lowell turbines are accounted for, when the impacts of REC sales are analyzed, the Lowell power plant will be found to be a net contributor of greenhouse gases.”

Noreen Hession, Director of Operations at Energize Vermont, added, “We hope that the actions resulting from the petition filed today:

1. Put an end to Green Mountain Power’s deceptive practices
2. Focus the attention of Vermonters on an effective, moral response to climate change
3. Help bring about reform of Vermont’s flawed energy policies
4. Shed light on the revolving door between state government and the energy industry that contributed to the creation of Vermont’s flawed energy policies”