CV Central Vermont Public Service Corp.

Long Trail Brewing Co., one of the nation�s most environmentally conscious craft beer-makers, today gave an Earth Day gift to Mother Nature: enrollment in CVPS Cow Power� (NYSE: CV). �Long Trail has been committed to the environment since we started over 18 years ago, and we remain committed to leading the brewing industry in environmental stewardship,� President Brian Walsh said. �By enrolling in CVPS Cow Power�, we are extending that leadership, and encourage our customers to join us in supporting this inventive program.� In signing a contract with Central Vermont Public Service to purchase Cow Power, Long Trail became the program�s largest commercial customer. Long Trail will pay a premium for CVPS Cow Power�, the nation�s only manure-to-energy customer choice program. Long Trail�s premium payments will support the development and operation of clean, renewable energy on Vermont dairy farms. CVPS President Bob Young said Long Trail, which plans to cross-market Cow Power, would support significant environmental benefits through its enrollment. �Each year, Long Trail�s Cow Power purchases will have an environmental impact equivalent to taking 106 cars off the road,� Young said. �Their commitment will be equivalent to capturing the CO2 emissions from burning 65,834 gallons of gasoline annually. Equally important, as a flagship Vermont company, Long Trail will play an important role in spreading the word about Cow Power.� Walsh said that was an important reason for Long Trail�s enrollment. �We want to align our company with others promoting similar goals�in the areas�of environmental consciousness and sustainability,� Walsh said. �We believe it is critical to reduce our collective environmental footprint, and by enrolling, we want to encourage others to do the same.� Department of Public Service Commissioner David O�Brien praised Long Trail for its commitment. �Vermonters have an unquestionable environmental ethic, and the voluntary participation by Long Trail in the Cow Power program clearly makes the point that�if�we provide opportunities for voluntary participation in renewable programs, people can and will make that choice,� O�Brien said. �I commend them for their�voluntary support of the program, which is quickly becoming a model for renewable energy development.� Long Trail�s enrollment in Cow Power is just the latest step in the brewery�s ECO Brew� program for environmentally conscious brewing. ECO Brew� reflects the brewery�s decision to place environmental considerations at the forefront of their business and brewing strategies. �We actively seek ways to reduce the impact Long Trail has on its local surroundings.� Walsh said. �We believe CVPS Cow Power� provides great environmental benefits while creating much-needed opportunities for Vermont farm owners.� Joining CVPS Cow Power� is the second farm-related program of Long Trail�s ECO Brew� program. More than 8 tons of mash, a by-product of the brewing process, are provided daily to local farms that feed it to their cows. ECO Brew� also includes the use of heat recovery, bio-diesel, recycling and industry-leading water conservation efforts. The Cow Power process is simple: manure and other agricultural waste are held in a sealed concrete tank at the same temperature as a cow�s stomach, 101 degrees. Bacteria digest the volatile components, creating methane and killing pathogens and weed seeds. The methane, which is roughly 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere, fuels an engine/generator. CVPS customers can choose to receive all, half or a quarter of their electrical energy through Cow Power, and pay a premium of 4 cents per kilowatt hour. It goes to participating farm-producers, to purchase renewable energy credits when enough farm energy isn�t available, or to the CVPS Renewable Development Fund. The fund provides grants to farm owners to develop on-farm generation. Farm-producers are also paid 95 percent of the market price for all of the energy sold to CVPS. For more information, visit www.ecobrew.net and www.cvps.com/cowpower.