Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson approved the contract for the City to purchase 530 blocks (or 53,000 kilowatt hours) of Blue Sky wind energy each month. Salt Lake’s renewable power purchase is part of the City’s Green program, and applies to the energy used at the historic City and County Building.

It boosted its participation from buying 350 blocks per month last July 2003.

"Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program is a simple, affordable way for Utahns to make substantial investments in technologies that will benefit us both, with clean air now and a healthy climate in the future," said Anderson.

Salt Lake City’s purchase of 530 blocks of Blue Sky energy places the City in the "Visionary" category for Blue Sky participants. The Mayor’s Office is also working with the Utah Wind Power Campaign and Rocky Mountain Power to help promote wind power in Utah. The environmental benefits of 530 blocks of Blue Sky wind energy and the 432 tons of carbon dioxide emissions prevented each year are equivalent to planting just over 265 acres of trees, or not driving 1,362,100 miles in a year.

"We are thrilled to partner with Salt Lake City and Rocky Mountain Power to promote wind power in Utah," said Sarah Wright, coordinator of the Utah Wind Power Campaign, a project of the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies. "The City’s purchase demonstrates their leadership in reducing the environmental impacts of their electricity use. The word is out — we can all do our part to help our environment by purchasing pollution-free wind power."