In 2005, DEA committed to "greening" 100 percent of its firm-wide energy usage through the purchase of Green Tags, also known as renewable energy credits. DEA's purchase will result in an increased percentage of wind power entering the Western electricity grid and a corresponding reduction in the development of coal and natural gas facilities.
DEA will purchase Green Tags from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) to offset the environmental impacts of its electricity use at the following levels: 10 percent in 2005; 25 percent in 2006; 50 percent in 2007; 75 percent in 2008; and 100 percent in 2009. Thereafter, DEA will continue "greening" 100 percent of its company-wide electricity usage, which represents 7 million kilowatt-hours per year. At this rate, the amount of renewable energy DEA will have subsidized will represent an annual savings of nearly 10 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions (primarily carbon dioxide). This offset is the environmental equivalent of planting more than 13,000 acres of carbon-dioxide-absorbing forests, or keeping nearly 1,000 cars off the road for a year.
The Green Tags purchase is one of the many ways DEA expresses its commitment to improving the quality of life in the communities where we live, work, and play.