PPL is commemorating Earth Day with a series of events that reflect its policy of doing business in an environmentally responsible manner.

"Successful companies invest in the environment in ways that build long-term value," said Bob Barkanic, director of Environmental Management for PPL. "At PPL, we recognize that there are few things more important to our stakeholders than conserving natural resources, reducing pollution and protecting the environment. We are proud to offer a series of events that support the mission of Earth Day."

PPL is celebrating Earth Day from April 17–28 with more than 15 events in Pennsylvania and Montana. These events range from educational programs at its environmental preserves to a cleanup of streams and a park to fun-filled and educational community activities. They share the goal of reminding everyone to make a difference in their communities, get involved and protect the environment.

The activities in Pennsylvania include:

• Allentown – a fun-filled, educational afternoon on the Plaza at PPL Center, an environmental workshop for teachers and a cleanup of Valania Park.
• Brunner Island Preserve – a cleanup of the Susquehanna River shoreline and a program to plant seedlings and build bluebird houses.
• Harrisburg – an environmental workshop for teachers by award-winning author, naturalist and photographer Jane Kirkland.
• Holtwood Preserve – a cleanup of the Susquehanna River shoreline.
• Martins Creek Preserve – a cleanup of Martins Creek and a program about wetlands, frogs and salamanders.
• Montour Preserve – a cleanup of Chillisquaque Creek and a program about North America’s smallest falcon, the kestrel.
• Susquehanna Riverlands Preserve – nature walks to identify wildflowers, resident and migrating birds and explore animal nightlife at the preserve.
• Lake Wallenpaupack – nature walks, games and presentations, including one on how PPL’s hydroelectric plant generates clean power from a renewable source.
  

PPL Montana is sponsoring a poster contest, a seedling giveaway and a cleanup project. In addition, students at four schools will enhance their study of the weather, improve their recycling program, expand their study of birds and insects, and increase their appreciation of plants, shrubs and trees, thanks to grants from PPL Montana.

"At PPL, we strive to live up to the spirit of Earth Day year-round," Barkanic said. "It starts with the ‘green’ investments that we make in our facilities and continues to our range of renewable energy projects and the educational and recreational opportunities we provide at the environmental preserves near our power plants."

PPL will spend more than $1.5 billion to install pollution-control equipment at the Brunner Island and Montour plants in Pennsylvania. These scrubbers will remove nearly all of the two plants’ sulfur dioxide emissions. Sulfur dioxide contributes to the formation of acid rain. The company also has cut the emission of nitrogen oxides, which contribute to smog, by 65 percent and the emission rate of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, by 17 percent since 1990.

PPL has added to its generation portfolio by building new power plants fired by clean-burning natural gas and increasing the number of hydroelectric dams.

The Plaza at PPL Center in Allentown has received a Gold rating from the Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Building Council. The building contains a long list of environmental features, including a vegetative roof and innovative water- and energy-saving features.

In Montana, PPL has committed $50 million to protect fish, wildlife and the cultural heritage along the rivers where it operates hydroelectric stations. PPL’s commitment to protecting Montana’s rivers earned it the "Outstanding Stewardship of America’s Rivers" award in four of the last five years.

PPL’s renewable energy projects include the installation of gas-to-electricity facilities at landfills in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These facilities use natural gas to generate electricity with no combustion. PPL has a 20-year agreement to purchase the electricity from the Bear Creek Wind Power project in northeastern Pennsylvania, which produces enough electricity to power 5,500 homes. PPL also has put in fuel cells, which produce clean energy from hydrogen, at hotels in New York and New Jersey and at a U.S. Coast Guard station in Massachusetts.

PPL is hosting its Earth Day events as part of PPL Project Earth, an initiative through which the company educates the public about energy resources and the environment. In addition, PPL provides educational programs and recreational opportunities for the public at its environmental preserves. For more information, visit www.pplprojectearth.com or send an e-mail to pplpreserves@pplweb.com.

PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), headquartered in Allentown, Pa., controls about 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America. More information is available at www.pplweb.com.