EPA Climate Programs Prevent Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Save Dollars

9/26/07 -- In 2006, EPA's climate protection programs prevented 70 million metric tons of carbon equivalent greenhouse gas emissions - up from 63 million in 2005, according to a new report released today.

The report, "Energy Star and Other Climate Protection Partnerships 2006 Annual Report" includes highlights of savings from the government's Energy Star program. In 2006, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 25 million automobiles in 2006 – up from 23 million in 2005 – while saving more than $14 billion on their energy bills. Americans also saved a significant amount of energy in 2006 – 170 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) – or almost five percent of the total 2006 electricity demand.

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Other EPA climate protection programs have also had great accomplishments. A few accomplishments from 2006 highlighted in the report include:

-- Partners of EPA's Green Power Partnership—which marked its five year anniversary in 2006--purchased almost 7 billion kilowatt hours of green electricity.

-- The Climate Leaders Program grew to over 100 companies--representing more than eight percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions--and three partners announced the achievement of aggressive greenhouse gas reduction goals previously set through the program.

-- EPA's methane programs and initiatives like the Landfill Methane Outreach Program helped minimize total U.S. methane emissions to more than 10 percent below 1990 levels.

The report details the environmental and economic accomplishments of these programs and outlines goals for 2007 and beyond.

Copies of the "Energy Star and Other Climate Protection Partnerships 2006 Annual Report" are available for download at epa.gov/cpd/annualreports/annualreports.htm or in hard copy by calling the Energy Star Distribution Center at 1-800-490-9198.

Source: EPA