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Dallas, Houston make EPA list of top green power purchasers
Wind power has propelled the cities of Dallas and Houston onto EPA’s national list of top green power purchasers.
"Texas leads the nation in wind power production, and Dallas and Houston are leading the way in showing other cities how green power can help protect the environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard Greene. "By shifting to wind and other renewable power sources, cities can cut greenhouse gas emissions and change the way we generate energy."
Dallas took the No. 9 spot on the National Top 25 list of Green Power Partners by buying 40 percent of its power from wind sources. Houston grabbed the No. 12 spot by using wind power for 20 percent of its purchased-electricity needs.
EPA's Green Power Partnership works with more than 850 partner organizations to buy green power voluntarily as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use and to support the development of new, renewable generation resources nationwide. Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and biogas, as well as low-impact hydropower.
Overall, EPA Green Power Partners are buying more than 13 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually. The National Top 25 list represents more than 60 percent of the green power commitments made by all EPA Green Power Partners.
Dallas and Houston purchased more than 333 million kWh and 262 million kWh of green power respectively, earning them first-time recognition on the National Top 25 list, as well as the Top 10 Local Government list. The aggregate environmental impact of these two purchases is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 84,000 passenger vehicles annually, or the same amount of electricity needed to power an estimated 61,000 average American homes each year.
The City of Austin and the Austin Independent School District were also recognized by EPA on its Top 10 Local Government list, with No. 5 and No. 7 rankings respectively.