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EPA: Oak Ridge is a Green Power Community of the Year

Posted at 10:03 am December 1, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

ORNL Bethel Valley Solar Array

Construction was completed in 2008 on a 288-foot-long, 51.25 kilowatt solar system (second-largest in Tennessee) that will supply power to the office building that houses researchers associated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s buildings technology programs. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

Oak Ridge has been recognized as a Green Power Community of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Oak Ridge is one of only two cities to receive the award. The other is Medford, Oregon.

Oak Ridge is one of 19 Green Power Partners and four suppliers from across the country receiving Green Leadership Awards given each year by the EPA. Awardees are recognized for their achievements in advancing the nation’s renewable energy market and reducing greenhouse gas emissions fueling climate change, a press release said.

The 2014 Green Power Leadership Awards will be presented on Wednesday, December 3, at the annual Renewable Energy Markets Conference in Sacramento, California. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: climate change, EPA, EPA Green Power Community, Gina McCarthy, Green Leadership Awards, green power, Green Power Community of the Year, Green Power Partnership, green power suppliers, greenhouse gas emissions, Jack Suggs, John Ragan, Medford, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oregon, ORNL, renewable energy, Renewable Energy Markets Conference, Robin Manning, solar power, solar system, Southeast, Sustainable Communities Program, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tom Beehan, TVA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, wind turbines

Oak Ridge concludes Green Power Community Challenge with day of service

Posted at 3:51 pm June 10, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Submitted

The City of Oak Ridge is wrapping up its two-month long Green Power Community Challenge with a day of service on Saturday, June 21, at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, which is located at 901 S. Illinois Ave. in Oak Ridge.

The Green Power Community Challenge encouraged local residents and businesses to buy green power and help Oak Ridge become an EPA-designated Green Power Community. The effort has been a tremendous success—more than 300 new customers enrolled in the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Green Power Switch program, more than triple the original goal, a city press release said.

Twenty volunteers are needed for the day of service. The volunteer work will be focused on a half-day project at the Arboretum in Oak Ridge. Specifically, volunteers will conduct a creek walk to clean up trash and debris, and construct benches for their new creek access area near the Arboretum entrance road. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: day of service, EPA, Green Power Community, Green Power Community Challenge, Green Power Partnership, Green Power Switch, Marlene Witt, Oak Ridge, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, University of Tennessee Arboretum

Oak Ridge could become first EPA-designated Green Power community in Southeast

Posted at 2:52 pm April 24, 2014
By City of Oak Ridge 2 Comments

Mark Watson

Mark Watson

The City of Oak Ridge is on the verge of being selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a Green Power Community, the first in the Southeast, a press release said.

The EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy renewable energy. To be designated as a Green Power Community, a local government must purchase or produce green power in amounts that meet EPA minimum purchase requirements as determined by community electricity usage.

Green power is defined as electricity generated from renewable resources, such as wind, solar, biogas, biomass, and low-impact hydropower. Oak Ridge Electric Department customers can buy Green-e Energy certified renewable energy through the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Green Power Switch program.

To qualify, local governments must also initiate a community-wide green power campaign to encourage renewable energy purchases. The City of Oak Ridge, playing off its nickname as the Secret City due to its historical origins, created a campaign called, “The Secret’s Out: Oak Ridge Loves Green Power,” to encourage residents and businesses to buy green power. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: biogas, biomass, Earth Day Festival, electricity, EPA, green power, Green Power Community, Green Power Partnership, Green Power Switch, Green-e Energy, hydropower, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, renewable energy, Secret City, solar, Southeast, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, wind

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Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

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