Upfront
STANFORD JAZZ
CITY COUNCIL
Palo Alto looks to landfills for ‘green’ electricity
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Despite major concerns, City Council approves two 20year contracts with energy company Ameresco by Gennady Sheyner he phrase “green energy” may feel right buying energy from the San evoke idyllic images of solar Joaquin landfill, which she learned panels and gently tilting wind still accepts materials such as wood turbines, but in Palo Alto the term and cardboard. She equated the city’s can now be chiefly associated with decision to buy energy from a landmethane gas burning in Central Val- fill that accepts such materials to ley landfills. “looking the other way. After a lengthy debate that “I really feel we’d be fostering bad stretched into the wee hours of practice if we support the activities Tuesday morning, a split Palo Alto at San Joaquin,” Holman said. “If City Council decided to commit the there are things actually going into city to two 20-year contracts with the landfill, I feel it is a very bad the energy firm Ameresco, which policy and an inconsistent message converts escaping landfill gas into that we’re sending if we support both electricity. The two contracts will contracts.” cost the city about $233.7 million The second contract is based on over their terms. the Crazy Horse Landfill in Salinas, With the decision, the proportion which closed a year ago and no lonof electricity the city receives from ger accepts waste. The San Joaquin renewable sources will increase from landfill is expected to remain in op22 percent to 28 percent in 2013. The eration until 2059. city’s goal is to get 33 percent of its But a five-member council majorelectric load from renewable sources ity, led by Larry Klein, argued the by 2015. two contracts are a good bargain for But the new contracts also mean the Palo Alto, whose Utility Departthat the city’s renewable-energy port- ment normally has a hard time comfolio is dependent, more than ever, on peting with energy giants like PG&E landfill gas. The portfolio now con- for long and lucrative contracts. Klein sists of seven landfill-gas contracts also pointed to the city’s commitment with Ameresco and two wind-energy to hydroelectric power, which he said contracts. With the two agreements, proved to be wise. Ameresco accounts for 56 percent of “This is an area that lends itself to Palo Alto’s renewable-energy supply long-term contracts,” Klein said. and 16 percent of its total supply. Klein’s argument ultimately The City Council reached the prevailed with Vice Mayor Sid Escontroversial decision a month after pinosa and council members Gail a similarly split Finance Commit- Price, Nancy Shepherd and Yiaway tee failed to reach a consensus or Yeh joining him in supporting the offer a recommendation to the full two contracts. council. Greg Scharff and Greg Burt called the Ameresco contracts Schmid, the two council members a tough decision but emphasized that who opposed making major com- the city’s goal isn’t to use more remitments to Ameresco during the newable energy, but rather to use less Finance Committee meetings, once nonrenewable, so-called “brown” enagain urged their colleagues not to ergy. In fact, earlier in the evening, sign the two contracts. the council unanimously approved a Both warned about the potential of new 10-year energy efficiency plan, new and better technology emerging which seeks to curb the city’s elecover the next two decades and won- tricity consumption by 7.2 percent dered aloud whether the Ameresco over the next 10 years through a wide plants, which burn methane gas, can range of programs. truly be considered “green.” Mayor Burt called the city’s new renewPat Burt and Council member Kar- able contracts as means to that end, en Holman voted with them to sign not ends in themselves. just one of the two contracts recom“The higher objective should be mended by staff. reduction of brown electricity,” Karen Holman said she wouldn’t Burt said. N
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lice will have it towed, he said. Reynolds then turned his inspection to the Palo Alto Hills. “We’re seeing more vacant lots with the downturn in the economy,” he said, checking on the progress of a weed-abatement order he gave two weeks ago. “And there are more issues with unfinished homes, as people run out of money.” Reynolds checks new construction and home-based businesses and follows up to make sure projects remain in compliance with their conditions of use. People rip out landscaping and businesses encroach on public benefits
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that were conditions of their construction, he said. Not all complaints are actionable. Draining water from planters on a sidewalk did not rise to a tripping hazard and drumming at a residence was within legal noise limits. And many problems fall within gray areas. “The city does not have a blight ordinance,” he said. Property owners can’t be forced to raze burned and abandoned structures. Reynolds pointed to a dug-up front lawn. Wisp of weeds protruded from large dirt clods. It was ugly, but it didn’t break the law. “They could leave it like that if they wanted,” he said. N Sue Dremann can be e-mailed at sdremann@paweekly.com. *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ >ÞÊÇ]ÊÓä£äÊU Page 7