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January 2000 - The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) adopted a resolution finalizing its Environmental Marketing Guidelines for Electricity. In the resolution, NAAG "urges the electric power industry to conform its advertising of electricity products and companies to the Guidelines" and "encourages each Attorney General, in the absence of relevant state law, to promote use of the Guidelines as a model for legislation and rulemaking." The Guidelines, which apply to all marketing claims concerning the environmental attributes of electricity products offered by electric power providers, establish general principles for determining whether advertising claims are misleading or deceptive.
NAAG issued the Guidelines after nearly two years of deliberation, which included public workshops and comment periods. Any further issues of interpretation and enforcement of the Guidelines will be handled at the state level by the various Offices of Attorney General.
Background - Memorandum from NAAG Environmental Marketing Subcommittee (1/10/00)
Resolution - Adopting Environmental Marketing Guidelines for Electricity (12/99)
PDF-Formatted Final Guidelines - Environmental Marketing Guidelines for Electricity (PDF 204 KB) Download Acrobat Reader (12/99)
May 1999 - The Environmental Marketing Subcommittee of the National Association of Attorneys General's (NAAG) Energy Deregulation Working Group has released a draft set of Environmental Marketing Guidelines for public comment. The Guidelines, which have been in development for more than a year, "will set out principles, commentary and examples designed to provide guidance on how to avoid making deceptive marketing claims for electricity products and companies." NAAG hopes that the Guidelines will aid industry in ensuring that its environmental advertising serves to inform, rather than to mislead consumers.
A public hearing will be held on Friday, June 11 in Washington, D.C. Alternatively, written comments can be submitted to NAAG through July 9. The Subcommittee plans to consider any feedback received at the hearing or in writing, revise the Guidelines as appropriate, and submit its final recommended Guidelines to the Attorneys General in December.
News Release - NAAG Draft Environmental Marketing Guidelines for Electricity (May 24, 1999)
March 1999 - The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is seeking additional input for its "anti-deception guidelines for environmental energy marketing." By the end of April, the group is planning to release a revised draft of the guidelines, which are intended for use by industry and law enforcement agencies to clarify how environmental marketing claims can be made in a non-deceptive manner. The drafting committee is seeking comments from interested individuals on a number of issues, including an appropriate minimum "floor" meaning of "green," whether some types of biomass should be excluded from the definition of "renewable," and issues related to the use of tradable energy tags. The committee expects that the final guidelines will be adopted this summer.
Full Text - NAAG Drafting Committee Memorandum
July 1998 - The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) has released a first draft of the "Green Guidelines for Electricity" for public comment. The guidelines are intended for use by industry and law enforcement agencies to clarify how environmental marketing claims can be made in a non-deceptive manner. The draft document is offered as a starting point for interested parties who may wish to consider establishing uniform advertising standards for the "green marketing" of electricity and what those standards should be.
To receive a copy of the "Green Guidelines for Electricity," please contact Emily Myers at NAAG headquarters, emyers@naag.org or (202) 326-6015. NAAG requests comments by July 17.
February 1998 - As a result of hearings held to consider potential fraud and antitrust problems associated with electric industry deregulation, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) has announced plans to establish a task force to create green marketing guidelines and disclosure requirements for green power products.
NAAG Contact: Emily Myers (202) 326-6015
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