SALT LAKE CITY — Web hosting and data services provider ViaWest is linking 15 percent of the electricity used to power its Salt Lake City data center to renewable wind energy through Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program. Over a year’s time, ViaWest’s Blue Sky purchase will result in the avoidance of 900 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, providing annual benefits equivalent to not driving more than 1.9 million miles or planting 353 acres of trees.

"Being environmentally responsible is important to Viawest," said Roy Dimoff, CEO & Chairman of ViaWest. "We have been taking steps to greatly expand our green initiatives, company-wide." Dimoff continued, "While we, as a company, feel there is ample room for improvement throughout our industry, we are immensely pleased our partnership with Blue Sky shows our dedication to meet our corporate responsibility to the environment in the local markets in which we reside."

ViaWest currently supports more than 200 businesses in its three Utah data centers. Through its Blue Sky purchase, ViaWest is supporting 75,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy each month, qualifying the company as a Visionary-level Blue Sky business partner.

"ViaWest, through its participation in the Blue Sky program, is helping to grow the renewable energy market in the region and is providing an example that other Utah businesses, as well as residents, can follow to reduce their own carbon footprint," said Mickey Beaver, Rocky Mountain Power customer and community manager.

Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program provides customers a simple and convenient way to support renewable energy from newly developed facilities in the western United States and to help increase the demand for renewable energy resources.

Customers can purchase Blue Sky renewable energy in 100-kilowatt-hour increments, called blocks, for an additional $1.95 per block. Business customers can buy Blue Sky blocks in bulk at a discount through Blue Sky QS. Funds from Blue Sky customers also help support the development of smaller-scale renewable energy projects in communities served by Rocky Mountain Power, and cover the cost of offering the option to customers. Enrollment in the program is voluntary, and customers can increase their participation or withdraw at any time.

More than 27,000 Rocky Mountain Power customers in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho currently buy Blue Sky renewable energy. There are more than 63,000 participants in the Blue Sky program in the western United States. Blue Sky is Green-e Energy certified and was named 2007 Green Power Program of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. To learn more about Blue Sky or to sign up, visit  www.rockymountainpower.net/bluesky or call 1-800-769-3717.

About ViaWest

Headquartered in Denver, ViaWest provides a unique set of colocation, managed hosting solutions and comprehensive services to mid-sized and enterprise level businesses. The super-regional service provider maintains enterprise-class data centers in Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Texas and Nevada, and offers broad and deep expertise to furnish its customers with leading technology infrastructure solutions and the critical resources to support their unique business needs. ViaWest currently serves thousands of customers nationwide including Frontier Airlines, the Denver Broncos, Exclusive Resorts and Chipotle. For more information, visit www.ViaWest.com  or call 1-877-448-9378.

Media inquiries: 1-800-775-7950; newsdesk@pacificorp.com