A year after enrolling in Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program, Collins Products LLC increased its participation in the voluntary, wind energy initiative. The wood products company is boosting its purchase of Blue Sky by 170 blocks per month, from 435 blocks to 605.

"We have an excellent environmental ethic at Collins," said Dale Slate, general manager of the Collins plant in Klamath Falls. "At our Klamath Falls plant we have a lot of initiatives in place to reduce water use, improve air quality, and efficiently use electricity, steam and natural gas."

"Our large Blue Sky purchase allows us to self-direct our public purpose charge, and the recent Blue Sky price decrease presented an opportunity to increase our participation," he said.

Last month, Pacific Power lowered the price of Blue Sky renewable wind energy from $2.95 per 100 kilowatt-hour block to $1.95.

"We’re hopeful that the new, lower price for Blue Sky will spur even more signups," said Bill Edmonds, Pacific Power’s director of environmental policy. "We lowered Blue Sky’s price because of greater customer participation, improved technology and the reduced cost of acquiring renewable power."

The public purpose charge Slate refers to came about in 1999, when Oregon’s Senate Bill 1149 established a 3 percent system charge for the benefit of investor owned utility customers in Oregon. The purpose of the funds, which are administered by the Energy Trust of Oregon, is to promote conservation programs and the development of renewable resources. Larger industrial customers with an energy demand greater than 1 megawatt can direct where their system charge goes. Collins chose Pacific Power’s Blue Sky.

Since Collins purchased the Klamath Falls operations seven years ago, the company and its employees have implemented a significant number of environmentally innovative changes. These include harvesting wood from its forests in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, and ensuring that its plant operations are kind to the environment.

"We also are very progressive in our recycling efforts and recently installed a recycling center at the front gate of the plant where our employees can recycle their aluminum, metal, newspapers, magazines, plastic and glass," Slate said.

More than 4,000 Oregonians are investing in Blue Sky wind power. The utility launched Blue Sky in 2000 to give customers a choice in how their energy is produced, and to allow them a part in creating demand for renewable energy resources. Residential and business customers can buy wind energy in 100-kilowatt-hour block increments, in addition to their regular monthly electric bill.

Buying a 100-kwh block of Blue Sky each month for a year has the same positive environmental impact as planting a third of an acre of trees or not driving a car for 1,800 miles.* Renewable energy, such as wind, solar and geothermal, has little-to-no emissions and the supply is unlimited. Wind power produces no air pollutants, wastewater, smog or acid rain. It also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

To sign up for Blue Sky, call 1-800-842-8458 or e-mail bluesky@pacificorp.com . Customers also can sign up on line .

*Calculations based on an independent analysis completed by the Northwest Power Planning Council and EPA data.