St. Louis Post Dispatch: St. Louis below average on energy efficiency policies
St. Louis has a ways to go if it wants to keep up with the top tier of cities promoting energy efficiency.
A look at efficiency policies in 51 of the country’s largest cities ranked St. Louis below average, tied for No. 33 with Charlotte, N.C. The annual report, compiled by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, mostly scores cities based on programs that promote building, transportation and utility efficiency. The report looked just at St. Louis, not the metro area.
The city lost several points compared to its score last year, posting a 31.5 out of 100 possible points. That was lower than Kansas City’s 35 points. Chicago scored 69.5 points.
The city scored best on transportation policies, winning nearly half of the total points available. But it scored low on building code policies and local government operations.
Energy efficiency advocates say promoting less energy use is the cheapest way to reduce greenhouse gasses responsible for climate change.
St. Louis’s sustainability plan calls for a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, the majority of which come from powering buildings.
