Energy
Energy Plan Overview
City of Tulsa Energy Plan Tulsa Receives Award from Blue Skyways Collaborative
Tulsa’s energy plan is a critical first step toward addressing our city’s energy needs both today and in the future. It addresses both local and regional concerns, and offers a blueprint.
The plan includes the costs for heating and cooling city office buildings; the cost of fuel used by city vehicles, including police and fire vehicles; and even the cost to the city to supply electricity to street lights.
The plan details costs and consumption of various forms of energy including: our largest spending category, electricity; motor fuels; natural gas; thermal energy; street lighting; propane; and heating and cooling expenses, including the natural gas and electricity costs for City Hall and each of the buildings that house city employees as of Spring 2007. Those expenses have risen sharply and often erratically over the past five fiscal years.
The plan also details targets and goals of energy cost savings that the city estimates it will experience if employees are consolidated at the OneTech Center. Additional charts have been created for projected energy costs at the new BOK Arena.
The Energy Plan shows the costs associated with operating motor vehicles. These costs are divided by City Departments, and again by their various divisions. Over the charted period included in the plan, the Police Department had the greatest increase in fuel consumption of all City Divisions, followed by Public Works and the Fire Department.
Finally, the plan highlights ways that employees, council members and members of Authorities, Boards and Commissions in Tulsa can participate in the program by changing behavior patterns, from observing Ozone Alert Days to carpooling, recycling and using Tulsa Transit.
We must all respond to requests to curb emissions, particularly on Ozone Alert Days. The results of non-attainment are serious: the EPA may restrict certain kinds of potential economic development in Tulsa. Remember that “Healthy air means a healthy economy.”
The plan outlines the six steps which can make the biggest difference in the city government’s energy conservation program. They are: (1) address take home vehicles and fuel consumption; (2) move and replace City Hall; (3) Use Biodiesel fuels; (4) use CNG vehicles ((recent agreement to purchase CNG vehicles as participant in Congestion, Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) funds)); (5) recycle; and finally (6) negotiate best rates possible for all forms of energy.
The final pages of the plan note that Tulsa is a new partner in the Blue Skyways Collaborative. As a partner, Tulsa pledges to adopt voluntary measures to implement and utilize innovative technologies and programs to reduce emissions. Participation indicates the City’s willingness to join with other states in the Central U.S. to reduce energy-related air emissions. Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Kansas City and many nearby regional cities are partners in this program.