Roth: Tulsa leads the way
By Jim Roth | November 28, 2011
At the end of October, the city of Tulsa announced that it has created and is implementing a sustainability plan. The innovation of the city leaders and Mayor Dewey Bartlett has allowed Tulsa to receive millions of dollars from the Department of Energy’s “Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant Program.” Among the projects that will benefit are a $1.4 million retrofit for the OSU Medical Center, $900,000 million for a Brady Village geothermal project and $500,000 million for energy-efficient highway lighting.
The mayor’s office announced that there are other small projects that will receive funding like the Tulsa Energy Audit Program, which is designed to audit five of the city’s facilities that drain the most energy and develop improvements. Other projects are a long-term energy and sustainability plan that helps guide policymaking and a $50,000 revolving loan program to help small businesses upgrade to be more energy-efficient. And also announced, a Renewable Energy Feasibility Assessment, to look at renewable energy for various city facilities.
Additionally, Bartlett announced that the city of Tulsa will launch a compressed natural gas initiative that provides funding for CNG fueling stations in the city, as well as fleet conversions for the city’s fleet.
As if that wasn’t enough, the mayor discussed city ordinances that will also allow the city to enter into performance contracts for energy-efficient upgrades to several different public facilities without any new appropriations.
“Sustainability has emerged in the last few years as a strategy for not only saving money and helping the environment, but for creating energy-related economic development opportunities, and ultimately jobs,” Bartlett said. “Tulsa has the legacy, resources and the institutional knowledge of the entire energy industry.”
Brett Filder was also announced as the Tulsa’s new director for the Department of Sustainability. The city will also now have a Sustainability Advisory Committee that helps create recommendations for the department.
This announcement is absolutely exciting for the city of Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma. As Tulsa takes these steps, it is an innovator and pioneer. Especially during these challenging economic times when local municipalities are strapped for cash, it’s nice to see Tulsa make sustainable decisions. With these new projects in place, the projected cost savings are 10 percent of a $20 million energy bill. That’s more money for police officers and public safety, more money for job creation, and all because of smart, sustainable decision-making.
Jim Roth, a former Oklahoma corporation commissioner, is an attorney with Phillips Murrah P.C. in Oklahoma City, where his practice focuses on clean, green energy for Oklahoma.