NEWS RELEASE

Environmental Information To Appear on Electric Bills

Environmentalists Hope for More Awareness and Cleaner, Greener Energy

(Albany, N.Y.) — February 22, 2002. Starting this month, the air pollution caused by the electricity we buy will be described in our electric bills. Environmentalists welcome this disclosure and hope it leads to more awareness of clean energy options.

The Public Service Commission’s new program of Environmental Disclosure will provide every electricity customer in New York with a summary of the fuel used to generate the electricity bought for them, as well as most of the resulting air emissions.

Larry DeWitt of the Pace University Energy Project stated, “We applaud the PSC’s program. Now consumers will be more informed about the environmental consequences of the electricity they buy. This will allow them to hold their electricity providers accountable for their environmental performance.”

“Many New Yorkers will be surprised and disappointed that 40% of the State’s electricity comes from polluting coal and risky nuclear plants. We can do better and consumers should begin to demand cleaner and greener electricity,” stated Anne Reynolds of Environmental Advocates of New York.

PSC’s new program will inevitably highlight that there are few electricity retailers and none that specifically provide “green power”— renewable energy such as wind and solar. Nor are there any providers of non-nuclear power that have significantly lower emissions than the State average.

The Environmental Disclosure information provides further evidence of the need to address the lack of clean and green energy in New York. Specifically, the State should:

· Establish a 10% renewable energy requirement that mandates the phase-in of wind and solar to account for 10% of all electricity demand within 10 years. Twelve other states have this requirement, referred to as a renewable portfolio standard, or RPS);

· Invest much more in cost-effective energy efficiency so we need less generation in the first place.

· Eliminate regulatory barriers to investment in renewable energy, fuel cells and other sources of clean energy.

· Encourage Green Power retailers to set up shop in New York.

· Provide Green Power options through the regulated utilities until private Green Power retailers are operating in New York

-30-