Editorial
City Should Get Greener

The city has voted to join the Chicago Climate Exchange-good for it. Berkeley should give itself a pat on the back. It's a win-win situation. The city might make some money from the exchange, but even if it doesn't it gains the prestige of joining such an organization.

The Chicago Climate Exchange is a group of organizations-corporations such as Ford Motor Co., cities, universities and now the state of New Mexico-that enter into a binding agreement to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 1 percent through 2006. Those not meeting the requirement must buy credits from others that exceeded their goals.

Greenly speaking, City Council members feel pretty good about themselves right now-they've reduced emissions by 14 percent since 2002. They beat out Boulder's 9 percent and Chicago's 5 percent, both of which are already exchange members. But regardless of how confidently the city goes into this agreement, it can't become complacent-especially since its most successful program has been severely cut down.

The city's biodiesel program, to which much of the emissions drop can be attributed, was the first to power an entire fleet of city vehicles on 100 percent environmentally friendly fuel. But after two engines malfunctioned due to algae-like bacteria growth in the tanks-supposedly from contaminated fuel-the city dropped from 100 percent biodiesel to 20 percent. Since then, it has not negotiated another contract with fuel providers. The city needs to revive this program before it joins the exchange-reducing emissions should not be a one-time gig. Mayor Tom Bates has pledged to bring back the program, but we've yet to see any hint of progress on that front.

The city may worry about contaminated fuel, but it should cautiously reinstate the program. Consultant Randall Von Weder, who first diagnosed the city's engine problems, recommended a 50-50 blend of biodiesel and mineral fuel-that's certainly better than 20-80. With a 14 percent head start, there's no excuse to not take a few chances to help reduce harmful emissions.