by Christopher Anderson EXPRESS-NEWS
STAFF WRITER
|
10/09/01 Tuesday |
Metro
/ South Texas 05B |
|
News - Local |
Metro |
The threat of terrorism makes it critical for
San Antonio to be successful in its efforts to conserve energy and increase its
use of renewable forms of energy such as wind and solar power, County
Judge Nelson Wolff said Monday.
"It's probably more important today than it was before,"
Wolff said about both the Metropolitan Energy Office, a joint
city-county program, and a nonprofit corporation called the Metropolitan Energy
Partnership expected to be formed later this year.
"We're setting an example right here in San Antonio,"
said Wolff, who made his remarks during a luncheon at the Plaza Club.
While the energy office and the partnership were created in
response to energy problems this summer, Wolff said these efforts now
are even more relevant given the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon.
One long-term response to the attacks and environmental concerns
is likely to be an effort to reduce America's dependence on fossil fuels,
especially imported oil, Wolff said. He added that local governments would play
a role in reaching that goal.
Governments, companies and residents inevitably will be asked or
even forced to reduce the amount of electrical energy they consume, he
said.
Fuel-efficient vehicles or cars and trucks that use
cleaner-burning alternative fuels also will be options, he said.
Jamie Rochelle, general manager of City Public Service, said the
effects of global warming eventually may force electric-generating companies to
reduce their use of coal and natural gas.
Rochelle said CPS will soon be using a higher percentage of
renewable energy during peak hours than perhaps any other city in Texas after
signing a contract to increase the amount of wind power it buys from Indian
Mesa, a subsidiary of Houston-based energy giant Enron.
State legislation requiring cities to use a minimum amount of
renewable energy is boosting supply and demand for solar and wind power,
as well as the capture of methane gas from landfills, Rochelle said.
"There is a new marketplace for renewables," he said.
"Right now renewable-based electricity is more expensive than the
conventional resources."
Another challenge for the San Antonio area will be to comply with
legislation passed this year that requires many local governments to reduce the
amount of electricity they use in public buildings by 5 percent each year over
the next five years.
"It's going to take a community concerted effort to achieve
these goals," Rochelle said.