Forwarded from Jessica Yorko...

Insuring a Green Energy Future for Ann Arbor
Mayor John Hieftje

One of the things that I most appreciate about working with the members of this council is that they share my concern for the long-term future of our city.  I wanted to take some time tonight to inform council about something I have been working on for months and thinking about for years. My topics tonight are energy, green energy; transportation, air pollution, greenhouse gasses and saving dollars for Ann Arbor taxpayers that would otherwise be spent on energy.

Our City Government has long been recognized as one that is at the forefront in energy conservation and innovation. For several years we have achieved over $200,000 in energy project savings and last year we had $50,000 in energy purchase savings.  To show you how times have changed, that number in 03-04 was $250,000 in savings. 

Our Green Fleets Program has resulted in great savings in the amount of fuel used.  As you know, we have converted much of our vehicle fleet to run on alternative fuels. Last year we purchased 50,000 fewer gallons of gasoline than in 02-03 and 24,000 fewer gallons of diesel fuel. In a separate line item we avoided the burning of an additional 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel by our use of bio-diesel. 

In addition, our hydro facility at Barton Dam produces about $300,000 worth of electricity each year and we harvest over $300,000 worth of energy per year in gas from the City's old landfill. 

But, as anyone who spends much time thinking about it will soon come to understand, we have entered into a new period of accelerating energy costs. It is also apparent that we need to reduce our community's production of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants.

Despite all of the conservation efforts undertaken by our energy office, the City's total energy bill is considerable.  The need for further conservation and innovation has never been greater.  Last year we spent $3,872, 929 on electricity, and $708,658 on Natural Gas, $297,016 on gasoline, $361,319, on bio-diesel, $3,816 on diesel and $14,250 on Compressed Natural Gas for a total of $5,257,988. For the current year we have budgeted $5,973,432.

It seems clear that we must take action now to reduce the anticipated energy cost increases that are sure to come in the years ahead. We should also use the methods available to us to reduce future energy costs for our residents as well. This would mean that residents and importantly, those who commute to work in our city would produce less pollution. 

A few months ago I asked Dave Konkle in our energy office to do some research and develop a presentation on wind energy.  Last Tuesday I met with our Energy Commission to view the presentation. We had a good discussion of energy issues and some of the ideas they and I have to move us ahead in this area. I asked them to take on the task of exploring how we as a city government can do more to insure a green energy future while at the same time saving money and reducing our community's green-house gas footprint. 

I asked them to explore the possibility of investing now in building green energy infrastructure in exchange for a fixed reduced rate in the future. This could include investing in green energy production in other parts of our state or nation and even here in our own community.

There is no lack of examples. In Norway, a nation rich in offshore oil reserves, a major investment is being made in windmills to produce clean energy.  In the US windmills are turning in the valleys of California and over the cornfields of Iowa. Right here in Michigan they are sprouting up along the shores of our great lakes.

It may even be possible for us to do some wind energy production here in Ann Arbor, possibly on top of our old landfill and I have asked the energy commission to explore this option to be sure it is economically feasible. Grant funds may be available and there is another piece of exciting news that our CFO is looking into. We may be able to sell zero interest bonds to finance a green energy investment.

We may also have the opportunity to join with other Michigan cities in investing in a green energy future and I will be asking the University of Michigan to join us as well. I will be pursuing all of this in the months ahead and I am asking that the members of this council join me in this effort. 


Wind power may not be our only option and we should not close the door on other options. We are fortunate to have the alternative energy section of DTE right here in Ann Arbor and I will be consulting with them in this endeavor.

The Energy Commission will be coming to us at a working session in the next few months with an update on their research and preliminary conclusions. We are fortunate to have committed, knowledgeable people on this board. 

Following that presentation and subsequent conversations I will be asking you to join with me in setting a goal for our city to use at least 20% Green Energy by 2015, if not sooner. I must tell you that I am hopeful we will be able to surpass that goal as we learn more.

I will also in the next few months be asking you to join me in setting another concrete goal, this one for our whole community. A goal for a reduction in the amount of greenhouse gasses produced in and around our city. 

Let me share with you a set of numbers I asked for recently detailing the miles driven and the pollution produced by people who commute to our city to work. I found these numbers to be stunning while at the same time, depressing.

According to the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study:

Data obtained from Washtenaw Area Transportation Study (WATS)

Average number of commuters to Ann Arbor per day: 57,420
Average commute time: 46 minutes

Calculations

Average commute speed (estimated) 30 mph
Average commute distance = 46 mi/day
46 min @ 30 mph = 23 miles
Total average commute distance 46 mi/day.

46 mi x 57,420 trips = 2,641,000 mi/day

Average fuel economy = 16.5  mi/gal  (local ave.)

Gallons of fuel/day = 160,000 gal/day

Greenhouse Gas Generated = 20.709 lbs/gal, combination of liquid fuel and O2.)
Greenhouse gasses generated per day=   3,315,000 lbs

Or 1,657 tons of CO2

7% diesel, 93% gasoline

These pollution and Greenhouse gas production numbers are calculated from Clean Air and Climate Protection Software developed by- ICLEI (International Cities for local Environmental Initiatives, of which Ann Arbor is a member in good standing.)

Besides CO2:
NOx  = 12,000 lbs/day (Nitrous Oxide)
SOx  = 640 lbs/day  (Sulfur Dioxide)
CO  = 92,000 lbs/day  (Carbon Monoxide)
VOCs  = 9,600 lbs/day  (Volatile Organic Chemicals)
PM 10  = 350 lbs/day  (Particulate matter)

If these are the numbers for our mid-sized city, is it any wonder that our climate is changing?  (Note that these numbers do not include the trips undertaken by our residents who work in other communities.)

As you can see, our city generates a lot of employment and this is of course a good thing but it also seems to me that we must recognize that the daily commute is taking a huge toll on the environment both locally and globally.

We are not powerless to change this and we can and should take steps to mitigate the pollution and greenhouse gases being produced. The actions that are available to us will also help to reduce congestion and make our air cleaner right here in Ann Arbor.

One proven way to reduce our community's green house gas production is through improved mass transit. We must work hard to insure the commuter rail project we have been talking about for 4 years, becomes reality. As you know our region was recently awarded $100 million to research mass transit.  I have learned that this money could stretch beyond research and planning all the way through design and engineering and even perhaps into infrastructure.

On Wednesday afternoon I will be attending a presentation by SEMCOG at Washtenaw Community College and I will be urging them to aggressively pursue the commuter rail option. I invite you to join me. In two weeks I will be bringing a resolution to Council formerly recommending that same action to SEMCOG.

The second option we have for reducing our community's green house gas footprint is by building more and better infrastructure for non-motorized transit.

There is good news in this area. I am excited by the non-motorized future that has been mapped out for our city. This was made possible by the funds we dedicated to non-motorized transportation a few years ago.

The final draft of our new non-motorized plan is almost ready and it lays out a path that will place our city high up among the leaders in the nation in this area. One of the exciting things about this is that the evidence is everywhere that we are already well along this road. 
New cycling lanes are showing up across the city. To give you a small preview of what the next few years holds:

We currently have bike lanes on 16.5% of the 92 miles of primary roads in our city, within 3 to 5 years that will jump to 68%; an increase of over 300 percent. Within 8 to10 years 85% of our primary roads will have cycling lanes.  In addition we will be adding to our non-motorized path system along greenway and through parks. 

With a fully integrated system we should be able to achieve the level of rider-ship seen in other communities that have gone down this path and as that happens, we should realize a considerable savings on the bottom line because that will be one more parking structure we will not have to build. A fully integrated system of bike lanes and paths will move us even further toward reducing our green-house gas footprint and local air pollution. It will improve the quality of life and the health of our residents.  

Anyone who cares about the environment will surely recognize a third option we have for reducing our green house gas production. That is by making it possible, in a sustainable way that is acceptable to our residents, for more people who now commute to Ann Arbor, to both work and live in our community.  If a former commuter can walk or bike to work, they will of course not be burning gas and creating greenhouse gases and other air pollution. Every commuter we take off the road means on average that 14,427 pounds of greenhouse gasses will not be produced in a given year.

Let me also suggest that as we discuss design guidelines for future developments in the downtown and beyond, we should include conservation of energy as one of the criteria.

These are at the same time both daunting and exciting times in the area of energy. We have great challenges as a nation and as a City, but again, we are not powerless to address these challenges. 

I have discussed some of the ways we can address the related problems of energy production, air pollution and greenhouse gases. I am certain we will find more. We will need to be forward thinking and innovative. We will all of us, need to work together and to seek out partners so that together we can map out a green energy future for our city and serve as a beacon to other communities.

Thank you for your attention.