LA's Transportation Agency adopts another great environmental policy, implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) adopted a Renewable Energy Policy; they are now officially on a roll adopting strong environmental policies.  Last month they adopted a landmark Green Construction Policy.  Both policies seek to reduce the agency’s environmental impacts, promote green technologies, and help LA grow green.  By continuing to move forward with these policies, Metro is truly representing the interests of Los Angeles residents and helping our great city become a more sustainable community.

Metro was already planning on installing solar panels at their new El Monte Station and are looking into the feasibility of capturing the wind energy in its subway tunnels.  And they already get over two megawatts of power—meeting 2% of their energy needs—from solar panels on a few of their existing structures.

The renewable energy policy adopted this morning goes further, requiring the agency to:

• Optimize energy efficiency retrofits;
• Consider renewable energy technologies for every capital asset and project;
• Incorporate this consideration into the early development stages of each project;
• Consider particular criteria in this analysis, including the environmental benefits, the long- and short-term costs, whether the project uses land efficiently, the ability of the project to offset peak non-renewable energy consumption, the ability of the project to enhance price and supply certainty, and whether the project utilizes locally-manufactured equipment;
• Use 33% renewable energy by 2020[1]; and
• Report back in 18 months and every year thereafter on the renewable energy projects planned or deployed, and the greenhouse gas emissions and money saved.

Source