SPOKANE, WA--(Marketwire - Nov 2, 2012) - [ Avista Utilities ] has received a special recognition award from the judges of the Green Washington Awards, sponsored by [ Seattle Business ] magazine. The honor highlights Avista's 123-year legacy of clean power generation, successful energy efficiency programs and innovations in sustainable business practices. Avista was also named to the list of the 50 greenest companies in the state of Washington at the awards event on November 1.

"We are very pleased to be recognized in the Green Washington Awards and to be among the top sustainability performers in Washington," said Dennis Vermillion, president of Avista Utilities. "As a utility, we are proud to be an integral part of the lives of more than 1.5 million people who live and work in our three-state service territory. For us, doing business responsibly means doing it in ways that have the least impact on the environment and the most positive impact on our customers and communities. This kind of [ shared value ] is the backbone of our company."

"The judges gave Avista special recognition this year for its long-standing role in promoting wind power and other clean sources of energy," said Leslie Helm, executive editor of Seattle Business Magazine. "In addition, they noted that Avista has played an instrumental role in the emergence of a clean tech sector in Eastern Washington as a result of its spinoffs of important companies such as Itron."

About Avista
[ Avista ] is involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy. We provide energy services and electricity to 359,000 customers and natural gas to 320,000 customers in a service territory that covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.5 million. Avista is an operating division of [ Avista Corp ]. (NYSE: [ AVA ]). For more information, please visit [ www.avistautilities.com ].

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