"PP&L, Inc. has shown great environmental leadership among Pennsylvania utilities."

That quote, from James Seif, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, opens PP&L, Inc.'s latest Environmental Report. Seif is just one of the many regulators, customers, community leaders and employees who, in the report, share their opinions about PP&L, Inc.'s positive environmental record.

"When Pennsylvania's highest ranking environmental official holds a company in high regard, you know that company is doing something right," said Lynn Ratzell, manager of Environmental Management at PP&L, Inc. "We're honored that so many people outside our company — people who are in a position to know — have such high praise for our environmental commitment."

The 22-page report, released to the public Wednesday (7/29), details PP&L, Inc.'s environmental progress in five key areas: education, stewardship, involvement, compliance and innovation.

• Education. PP&L, Inc., shares its environmental knowledge through year-round nature programs, and by working with students and teachers as a way of investing in the future of our environment.
• Stewardship. The company's four public nature and recreation areas — where visitors can enjoy thousands of natural acres — are only the beginning of the stewardship story. PP&L, Inc., also preserves wetlands, restores endangered species, recycles wastes and much more.
• Involvement. PP&L, Inc., is involved in key environmental groups and programs, and seeks the input of communities touched by the company, including people who live near our power plants.
• Compliance. PP&L, Inc., operates responsibly, and strives to comply with all environmental laws. The company speaks honestly about its environmental achievements, and about those areas where more work remains to be done.
• Innovation. Electric vehicles, energy-saving technologies and pioneering environmental cleanups are among the innovative things PP&L, Inc., does as part of its commitment to the environment.

The booklet contains specifics about the environmental impact of PP&L, Inc. power plants and electrical equipment. For example:

• The company has cut emissions of sulfur dioxide — which leads to acid rain — by 15 percent since 1990. By 2000, the overall reduction in these emissions since 1990 will have been 30 percent.
• PP&L, Inc., has significantly reduced nitrogen oxide emissions, which is one of the causes of ozone, an air pollutant. The company has cut nitrogen oxide emissions by 45 percent, and will reduce them another 10 percent by 1999.

"We're a large electric utility, and we have large, coal-fired power plants that our customers rely on for a steady supply of electricity at a competitive price," said Ratzell. "We know that our operations have an impact on the environment, and we're doing everything we reasonably can to minimize that impact."

PP&L, Inc., publishes an environmental report about every two years. For a printed copy of the 1998 report, write PP&L Environmental Management, 2 N. Ninth St., Allentown, PA 18101.