THE NEW GREEN-E NATIONAL STANDARD

Conference Call Tomorrow, February 22nd at 10AM PST to Answer Stakeholder Questions

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 21, 2006)-- The Green-e Program of the Center for Resource Solutions announced today the release of the Green-e National Standard for certification of renewable energy products. This Green-e National Standard replaces all region and product-specific Green-e criteria documents developed since 1997.

This new single national Green-e standard will benefit renewable energy providers by presenting them with a simple, consistent standard they can reference as they develop products in different regions and states. It will benefit customers and regulators by providing a simple answer to the question "what is renewable energy?"

“Green-e’s new national approach to standards setting is truly a win for all participants in the renewable energy marketplace – customers get simplicity, and marketers get a level playing field” announced Dan Lieberman, Green-e’s Policy Director.

The Green-e National Standard will go into effect on January 1, 2007. Throughout 2006 products can be certified under the Green-e National Standard or under the region and product-specific criteria. In the development of the National standard, Green-e held two comment periods and received comments from over 100 stakeholders. In addition, Green-e drew on its experience working with hundreds of stakeholders all over the country since the inception of the program.

The Green-e National Standard can be downloaded from the Green-e Web site at: http://www.green-e.org/pdf/Green-e_National_Standard.v1.pdf. In addition, Green-e has a created Summary of Key Policy Changes table to provide a summary of the Green-e Governance Board's policy decisions. To view, please go here.

Green-e will be hosting a conference call on Wednesday February 22 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time to answer questions about the new standard. Please RSVP to kassie@resource-solutions.org if you wish to participate in the call, and she will provide you with a dial-in number.

Green-e is the leading renewable energy certification and verification program in the U.S. The program provides independent, third party certification to ensure certified renewable energy meets strict environmental and consumer protection standards. Green-e’s verification protects customers from paying for renewable energy that is “double sold” to other customers or used simultaneously to meet regulatory mandates.

Green-e was established in the late 1990s, when renewable energy markets were localized by state or utility service area. To best serve these regional markets, Green-e developed regional, and in some cases state-by-state, stakeholder groups and standards. This process presented the advantage of standards that can cater to state definitions of renewable energy and other local market conditions. However, today Green-e’s representation has grown to over 120 providers nationwide, and the Program realized the need for a simplified and streamline standard for eligibility.

Providers of Green-e certified renewable energy agree to abide by the Green-e Code of Conduct, and meet Green-e disclosure and truth-in-advertising requirements. All Green-e marketers undergo an annual verification audit to document that the company purchased or generated enough quantity and type of renewable energy to meet customer demand and marketing claims.

Over one hundred marketers and utilities throughout North America now offer Green-e certified renewable energy products. Collectively these suppliers sold 3.5 million MWh of Green-e certified renewable energy in 2004. Through the display and recognition of the Green-e logo, the national symbol for renewable energy excellence, a growing number of consumers are able to easily identify high quality, certified renewable energy options, as well as everyday consumer products that are “Made with Certified Renewable Energy.”

About Green-e and the Center for Resource Solutions
Launched in 1997, The Green-e Renewable Energy Certification Program is the leading voluntary certification and verification program that sets standards for renewable electricity-based products in three markets for renewable energy: restructured, regulated, and tradable renewable certificates. To learn more about certified renewable energy available throughout North America, visit: www.green-e.org, or call 1-888-63-GREEN.

Green-e is a program of the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS), a national nonprofit organization that makes it easier for people and organizations to use renewable energy. CRS designs and operates national and international programs that support the increased supply and use of renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and low-impact hydroelectric power. To learn more about CRS, visit: www.resource-solutions.org.

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