Mayor Bartlett Announces Energy/Sustainability Initiatives
Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr. announced the City of Tulsa's 2010
Energy/Sustainability Initiatives at an event and news conference
Wednesday evening, March 3, 2010 at the McBirney Mansion.
Mayor Bartlett presented details about several initiatives to a
crowd of Oklahoma energy leaders.
"Energy is Oklahoma," Bartlett said. "Our state was founded on
the energy industry. Now the door is wide open for the city of
Tulsa to lead Oklahoma into the future with energy initiatives and
projects that address Sustainability. That's what these
initiatives, focusing on alternative fuels and energy efficiency,
are all about."
Bartlett discussed at length the grant money that the city will
receive from the federal Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant
Program, administered by the U.S. Dept of Energy. Several projects
will receive money from the EECBG grant.
Briefly, the largest projects include: $1.4 million for the OSU
Medical Center Retrofit, a project which will save an estimated
$210,000 per year in energy costs; $.9 million for a Brady Village
Geothermal Project which is expected to produce over 400 tons of
heating and cooling capacity; and $.5 million for Energy Efficient
Highway Lighting, to research and implement energy efficient
lighting to replace the existing lights.
Other projects include: $350,000 for the city of Tulsa Energy
Audit Program, to perform energy audits of the city's five most
energy consumptive facilities and implement the identified
improvements; $75,000 for Long Term Energy & Sustainability
Plan Development to guide policy development and decision making;
$50,000 for Revolving Loan Program Development to offer low
interest revolving loans to citizens and small businesses in Tulsa
to perform energy efficiency upgrades; and $50,000 for a Renewable
Energy Feasibility Assessment that will assess the use of renewable
energy technologies, including solar, at selected City
facilities.
Bartlett also discussed the City of Tulsa's Compressed Natural
Gas initiatives, and funding that will allow both the expansion of
CNG fueling stations in the City, as well as CNG conversions and
new vehicle purchases for the City's 'Green Fleet.'
Two new City ordinances proposed by Bartlett, were briefly
discussed. The ordinances, which will soon be presented to the City
Council, will allow the City to enter into performance contracts
that could result in millions of dollars of energy efficient
improvements to public facilities without any new appropriations.
After the creation of these ordinances, Tulsa will be able to
appropriate $1.6 million from the 2006 Third Penny Sales Tax
Extension that had been earmarked for energy audits and energy
performance contracting on City facilities.
Finally, at the news conference, Bartlett signed an executive
order creating the City of Tulsa's new Department of Sustainability
and naming its first director, Brett Fidler. Fidler has served as
the Mayor's Special Advisor on Sustainability since November 2008.
Bartlett also announced the creation of an Energy/Sustainability
Advisory Committee that will provide some oversight and make
recommendations to the Department of Sustainability. Members will
be appointed during March.
