News Release No. 455

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES UNVEILS
CREDITS FOR POLLUTION-SAVING PROJECTS

Volume 33-455

Contact: Larry Archer

(For immediate release)

573-751-3807

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, NOV. 1, 2005 --Energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in 36 eastern counties and the city of St. Louis can earn potentially profitable credits for implementing pollution-saving measures, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Energy Center.

Through the department's Missouri Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Set-Aside Program, projects that reduce the release of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) can earn credits that can then be sold to help power plants meet state and federal clean air requirements.

NOx is a precursor of particulate matter and ground-level ozone. The goal of the program is to alleviate ozone problems in St. Louis and cities east that are downwind from Missouri. The credits apply to projects that reduce the amount of NOx created and released between May 1 and Sept. 30, which is considered the worst time of year for ozone.

One NOx allowance, which has had recent market value of $2,500 to $3,000 each, is awarded for each ton of NOx that a project prevents from release into the environment. Eligible projects can include energy efficiency projects that reduce electrical usage; renewable energy projects that generate electricity from zero-emission renewable sources, such as solar, wind and landfill gas or digester gas; renewable energy projects based on burning biomass, such as wood and wood waste, energy crops such as switchgrass, and agricultural wastes such as crop and animal waste; and combined heat and power projects that use waste heat to generate electricity or other purposes.

For more information on the Missouri Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Set-Aside Program, see the program Web page at www.dnr.mo.gov/energy/renewables/set-asideprogram.htm.

or contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Energy Center at 573-751-3443 or the department toll free at 800-361-4827.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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