Deregulation brings 'greener' energy companies

By MATT WUNSCHE
Collegian Staff Writer

With the implementation of the Pennsylvania Electric Choice Program and the deregulation of power companies, energy customers can now choose their own providers, and many are choosing "green."

Seventy-eight percent of Pennsylvanians want cleaner and "greener" -- more environmentally friendly -- electricity, said Liz Robinson, executive director of the Energy Coordinating Agency of Pennsylvania, in a press release.

And people in the Penn State community are no exception to the statewide trend.

"Since Americans use so much more power than anywhere else, I thought I'd do what I can," said John Kepner, who graduated in 1998 and is an Eco-Action member.

Kepner enrolled in the electric choice program and chose Green Mountain Energy Resources because the company uses alternative power sources, such as wind, instead of burning coal or using nuclear power, he said.

Green Mountain has enrolled about 100,000 new customers as a result of the deregulation, said Jeanne Clark of the Pennsylvania Campaign for Clean, Affordable Energy.

Green Mountain is the only company that has services approved by Green-e available to central Pennsylvania's residential consumers, Clark said.

There are four basic rules the Green-e program requires compliance with before recommending a particular service, said Meredith Wingate, Green-e program manager.