PG&E Honored by Pacific Forest Trust for Climate Protection and Forest Management Leadership.

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced that it has been honored by the Pacific Forest Trust for its leadership in combating global warming through its Climate Protection Program and history of sustainably managing forests in its watershed lands.

"PG&E is a trusted partner in environmental leadership," said Pacific Forest Trust President Laurie Wayburn. "Through its innovative Climate Protection Program, PG&E has offered its customers a unique opportunity to combat global warming and protect our forests by reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

The award was presented to Wendy Pulling, PG&E's Director of Environmental Policy, during the Pacific Forest Trust's Annual Forest Fete on December 7, 2006. In celebrating the gifts of working forests, the annual Forest Fete salutes working forests and the many wondrous rewards they provide to us all -- wood, water, wildlife and a well-balanced climate.

"Climate protection requires creative and collaborative efforts," said Pulling. "Partnering with our customers and leading environmental groups like the Pacific Forest Trust to help address the challenges of climate change is part of our company's overall strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preserving California's natural heritage."

Working with environmental organizations, consumer groups, and others, PG&E voluntarily proposed the first-of-its-kind Climate Protection Program to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) earlier this year. If approved by the CPUC, customers can choose to sign up and pay a small premium on their monthly utility bill to fund independent environmental projects registered with the California Climate Action Registry aimed at removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The first projects will be forest restoration and conservation projects in California.

PG&E hopes to enroll approximately 4 to 5 percent of eligible customers into the program by the end of its third year, and achieve reductions in CO2 emissions equivalent to taking 350,000 cars off ...