AGENDA #4f

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:      Proposed Town of Chapel Hill Green Fleets Policy

DATE:                        April 25, 2005

This report provides information on the development of a Town of Chapel Hill Green Fleets Policy and recommends that the attached draft Green Fleets Policy be referred to the Council Committee on Sustainability, Energy and Environment for review and comments.

BACKGROUND

Item number 41 in the listing of the Town Council’s goals and objectives for this year is to:  “Set goals for increased gas/fuel efficiency.  Create a Chapel Hill Green Fleets Policy.”

DISCUSSION

Detailed information on the Green Fleets Program of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) can be found on their website at www.greenfleets.org.  Upon review of the information on this website we have confirmed that the Town is already doing many of the things that are suggested in the Green Fleet Program literature. 

• The Town already has an informal anti-idling policy in place in some departments.  Under the new Green Fleets Policy, the anti-idling policy will be formalized as a town wide policy

• The Town of Chapel Hill is already a regional leader in improving air quality through the use of alternative fuels and we are planning to increase our use of alternative fuels annually upon our move to the new Town Operations Center in 2006.

• Our Fleet Replacement Program promotes the elimination of aging and inefficient vehicles from the fleet.  Under the current Fleet Replacement Program, each planned replacement is reviewed to find opportunities to expand our use of alternative fuels, to ensure that replacement vehicles meet the operational needs of the end user and to ensure that size and power specifications of the vehicle are not excessive with respect to the planned uses of the vehicle.

• We currently have aggressive preventive maintenance programs in both the Public Works Department and the Transportation Department to ensure that our vehicles remain in good operating condition and achieve maximum fuel efficiency.

Adoption of the attached Green Fleet Policy would help us formalize some of the Green Fleets measures that we are already practicing and initiate other best management practices that will help us improve fleet efficiency and reduce fleet energy consumption.  New initiatives under Green Fleets would include the following:

• Data fields would be added to our current fleet inventory documents to record fuel consumption, fuel cost, fuel efficiency and harmful emissions data on each vehicle.

• For those vehicle purchases where we write vehicle specifications, we would begin to include fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions standards in our specifications.

• The Town would adopt the goal of a 3% reduction in fuel use, adjusted for inflation and fleet growth, by the end of fiscal year 2007/08.

• The Town would adopt the goal of a 5% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, adjusted for fleet growth, by the end of fiscal year 2007/08.

• The Town would initiate information and outreach program for Town employees to encourage employees to drive efficiently and utilize efficient vehicle operating techniques.

• The Town would establish a Green Fleets Review Committee with a charge to monitor progress toward the Town’s Green Fleets goals, review the annual fleet replacement plan for compliance with the Green Fleets policy and prepare the Manager’s annual assessment of progress toward Green Fleets goals and report to the Council. This five-member committee would include representatives from the Finance Department, Fire Department, Police Department, Public Works Department and Transportation Department.

RECOMMENDATION

We recommend that the Town Council receive and refer the draft Green Fleets Policy to the Council Committee on Sustainability, Energy and Environment for review and comments.  Upon completion of this review the Manager will bring the revised Green Fleets Policy back to the Council for consideration as a Town policy.

ATTACHMENT

1. Draft of Green Fleets Policy (p. 2).

ATTACHMENT 1

TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL GREEN FLEETS POLICY and PROCEDURE

I.  Basis for The Town of Chapel Hill Green Fleets Policy

(a) The total motor fuels budget for the Town of Chapel Hill in fiscal year 2004/2005 was $1,097,000 and is projected to increase by at least 5 percent annually over the next several years.

(b) The Town of Chapel Hill operates a mixed vehicle fleet and a transit bus fleet that account for about 68 percent of the Town’s energy bill.

(c) The Town of Chapel Hill recognizes that energy use associated with the operation of its motor vehicle fleets exacerbates local air quality problems.

(d) The Town of Chapel Hill recognizes that it has a significant role to play in improving local air quality and reducing emissions by improving the energy efficiency of its fleets.

(e) The Town of Chapel Hill recognizes that by improving the energy efficiency of its fleets significant monetary savings will result in the long term.

(f) The Town of Chapel Hill wishes to exercise its power as a participant in the marketplace to ensure that purchases and expenditures of public funds are made in a manner consistent with the policy of improving local air quality and reducing emissions.

(g) The Town of Chapel Hill wishes to establish a Green Fleets policy addressing the management, operation, and procurement of fleet vehicles under the control of the Town in order to improve the energy efficiency of its fleets and reduce emissions from its fleets.

II.  Definitions

(a) "Passenger Vehicle" means any motor vehicle designed primarily for the transportation of persons and having a design capacity of twelve persons or less.

(b) "Light Duty Truck" means any motor vehicle, with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of 6,000 pounds or less, which is designed primarily for purposes of transportation of property or is a derivative of such a vehicle, or is available with special features enabling off-street or off-highway operation and use.

(c) "Medium Duty Vehicle" means any vehicle having a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of 14,000 pounds or less and which is not a light-duty truck or passenger vehicle.

(d) "Heavy Duty Vehicle" means any motor vehicle, licensed for use on roadways, having a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating greater than 14,000 pounds.

(e) "Zero-Emission Vehicle" means (i) any motor vehicle that produces zero exhaust emissions of all criteria pollutants, as defined by 17 California Code of Regulations §90701(b), (or precursors thereof) under any and all possible operational modes and conditions or (ii) any vehicle that has been certified by the California Air Resources Board as a zero-emission vehicle.

(f) "Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle" means any motor vehicle that meets or exceeds the standards set forth in 13 California Code of Regulations § 1960.1 for Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles (SULEV).

(g) "Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle" means any motor vehicle that meets or exceeds the standards set forth in 13 California Code of Regulations § 1960.1 for Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV).

(h) "Low Emission Vehicle" means any motor vehicle that meets or exceeds the standards set forth in 13 California Code of Regulations § 1960.1 for Low Emission Vehicles (LEV).

(i) "Electric Drivetrain Vehicle" means any vehicle that employs an electric drivetrain and motor as its primary means of motive force.  The vehicle can be powered by fuel cells, electric batteries, petroleum- or alternatively-fueled electric generators, or any combination thereof.

(j) "Alternative Fuel" means any fuel that is substantially non-petroleum in nature, is not gasoline or diesel, and is defined as an alternative fuel by the U.S. Department of Energy through the authority granted it by the Energy Policy Act of 1992.

(k) "Bi-Fuel Vehicle" means any motor vehicle designed to operate on two (2) fuels, one of which is an alternative fuel, but not on a mixture of fuels.

(l)  “Fleet Replacement Program” means the scheduled replacement of vehicles and equipment as proposed in the 1998 Maximus study and affirmed in the 2001 Post-Implementation Review.

III.  Fleet Inventory

(a) In order to establish a baseline of data so that the Green Fleets policy can be established, implemented, and monitored, the Public Works Director and the Transit Director shall develop an inventory and analysis of the fleet vehicles within that fleet as of the close of fiscal year 2004/2005.  This inventory shall include:

1) Number of vehicles classified by the model year, make, model, engine size, vehicle identification number (VIN), and drivetrain type (2-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive), and the rated vehicle weight and classification (light-duty, medium-duty, heavy-duty);

2) Miles per gallon (or gallon equivalent) per vehicle;

3) Type of fuel (or power source, e.g., electricity) used;

4) Average cost per gallon (or gallon equivalent) of fuel;

5) Average fuel cost per mile;

6) Annual miles driven per vehicle;

7) Total fuel (or power) consumption per vehicle;

8) Vehicle function (i.e., the tasks associated with the vehicle's use);

9) Estimated emissions per mile for each pollutant by vehicle type/class based on EPA tailpipe standards for the following: Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxides (NOX), and Particulate Matter (PM).

10) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) calculations based on gallons (or gallon equivalent) of fuel consumed.

(b) The Public Works Director and the Transportation Director shall be responsible for providing these baseline data in a reliable and verifiable manner.  The data will be submitted to the Green Fleets Committee established in Section VI for use in measuring progress toward the goals outlined in Section IV below.

IV.  The Green Fleets Policy

(a) It shall be the policy of the Town of Chapel Hill to purchase, lease, or otherwise obtain the most energy efficient vehicles that meet the operational needs of the department or agency for which the vehicles are intended, consistent with the budgetary constraints of the Fleet Replacement Program.  Purchase of vehicles on the most current State of North Carolina purchasing contract or the use of “Piggy Back” contracts shall qualify as meeting the standards in Section V below.

(b) It shall be the policy of the Town of Chapel Hill to manage and operate its fleets in a manner that is energy efficient and minimizes emissions.

(c) The Town of Chapel Hill shall endeavor to decrease energy expenditures for its vehicle fleets by a total of 3 percent by the end of fiscal year 2007/2008, adjusted for inflation and fleet size and relative to the baseline data established for year 2004/2005 through the fleet inventory taken in compliance with Section III above.

(d) The Town of Chapel Hill shall endeavor to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) from its fleet by a total of 5 percent by the end of fiscal year 2007/2008, relative to the baseline data established for year 2004/2005 in the fleet inventory taken in compliance with Section III above.

V. Green Fleets Policy Strategies

(a) In order to accomplish the goals stated in Section IV above, the Town of Chapel Hill shall modify procurement procedures, implement policies, conduct reviews, and take other actions as outlined in sub-sections (b) through (l) below.

(b) Include a minimum efficiency standard in miles per gallon (or gallon equivalent) for each vehicle class for which the Town of Chapel Hill has a procurement specification and include such a standard in any new vehicle procurement specification. 

(c) Include a minimum emissions standard for each vehicle class for which the Town of Chapel Hill has a procurement specification and include such a standard in any new vehicle procurement specifications.   This emission standard shall be based on the California Air Resources Board (CARB) designations of LEV, ULEV, SULEV, and ZEV.

(d) Continue to play an active role in the Triangle J Council of Governments Clean Cities Coalition and in other groups which provide information and guidance on the use of cleaner burning fuels and more fuel efficient vehicles.

(e) Review all vehicle procurement specifications and modify them as necessary to ensure that the specifications are written in a manner flexible enough to allow the purchase or lease of alternatively fueled vehicles.

(f) Review every new vehicle purchase request and modify them as necessary to ensure that the vehicle class to which the requesting vehicle belongs is appropriate for the duty requirements that the vehicle will be called upon to perform.

(g) Review the fleet inventory taken in Section III above to identify older vehicles that are used less frequently, as well as those vehicles that are disproportionately inefficient, and schedule their elimination or replacement.

(h) Implement an anti-idling policy prohibiting Town of Chapel Hill employees from idling Town of Chapel Hill owned or operated vehicles for an excessive period of time.  This provision shall not apply to fire apparatus during a fire suppression operation, other emergency vehicles at an emergency scene or police vehicles conducting traffic stops, K-9 police vehicles when the health and safety of the police dog requires operation of the ventilation system or other emergency police operations.  

(i) Implement information and outreach program for Town employees to encourage employees to drive efficiently and utilize efficient vehicle operating techniques.

(j) Maximize the use of alternative fuels (e.g. compressed natural gas, ethanol, biodiesel) by prohibiting the use of conventional fuels (gasoline and diesel fuel) in bi-fuel vehicles for more than 5 percent of the time that they are operated within the Town.

(k) Maintain vehicles at optimal efficiency by reviewing the current maintenance schedules for all fleet vehicles and increasing maintenance wherever cost-effective benefits will accrue as a result.

VI.  Monitoring of the Green Fleets Policy

(a) In order to ensure compliance with the goals outlined in Section IV above, as well as to monitor the actions outlined in Section V above, a Green Fleets Review Committee is to be formed.  The Town Manager will appoint the members of this review committee, with one representative from each of the following Departments:

1) Finance Department

2) Fire Department

3) Police Department

4) Public Works Department

5) Transportation Department

(b) On an annual basis, the Public Works Director and the Transportation Director shall review the Fleet Replacement Program and any plans to replace Transit Buses with the Green Fleets Review Committee detailing how vehicle procurement, fleet operations are intended to conform to the Green Fleets policy and the Green Fleets strategies outlined in Section V.  The Fleet Replacement Program will also include, as an appendix or addendum, an updated fleet vehicle inventory list in the same format as the fleet vehicle inventory completed in Section III.

(c) The Fleet Replacement Program plan shall be reviewed by the Review Committee for overall conformity with the Green Fleets policy and for completeness in addressing the Green Fleets strategies outlined in Section V.  Inadequate plans shall be returned to the submitting Fleet Manager for revision and discussion with the Review Committee.

(d) Any appeal of the Review Committee's decisions must be made in writing to the Manager accompanied by appropriate documentation.  Valid reasons for an appeal include unavailability of appropriate fleet vehicles, incremental costs in excess of the full life-cycle savings that would accrue from the acquisition of a given vehicle, and the primacy of a given vehicle's mission to public safety or a similar area judged to be applicable by the Review Committee.

(e) Approval of the Fleet Replacement Program for each fleet will be contingent upon a satisfactory recommendation from the Green Fleets committee as to conformity with the Town’s Green Fleets policy.  Decisions of the Green Fleets Committee may be appealed to the Manager for final administrative determination.

(f)  The Green Fleets Review Committee shall be responsible for the preparation of a Green Fleets progress report to be included as part of an annual report to the Town Council from the Manager.