Arlington County’s new County Board Chairman Paul Ferguson said he is confident that drops in energy costs due to a new initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would make up for any money spent implementing the plan.
After being elected as chair Monday, Ferguson outlined an ambitious plan to lower emissions that includes tax breaks for hybrid cars, requirements for energy-efficient public buildings and the distribution of energy-efficient light bulbs to Arlington residents. In an interview with The Examiner Tuesday, Ferguson said the cost of instituting the program is unknown.
“It’s hard to make predictions until you actually go through each department, each program,” he said. “This initiative is designed to cost very little money. The money it does cost will be recouped in energy savings.”
Ferguson, a County Board member since 1996 and a longtime supporter of cleaner environment policies, said the county has reduced carbon monoxide emissions by 2.6 percent since 2000. He said he hopes to have emissions down by 10 percent by 2012.
For now, the short-term success of the program will be judged by the number of individuals and businesses taking steps to lower emissions.
“We want this to become part of the Arlington way of life, to become as much a part of Arlington policies as our other values,” he said. “I want, at the end of the year, to detail the progress we’ve made, and where we need to go … to reach the goal by 2012.”
Ferguson said many of the plan’s components are inspired by theKyoto Protocol, an international agreement to lower greenhouse gases. While the United States has not adopted the agreement, many localities have instituted plans that resemble the protocol.
Arlington is facing a $20 million revenue gap as it drafts its fiscal 2008 budget.
Mike McMenamin, a member of the county’s budget advisory committee, praised Ferguson’s plan, but said it should not come at the cost of other services.
“We should clearly look at a variety of ways to ensure that we’re meeting our environmental obligations, as long as these efforts do not hinder or reduce the quality of services Arlington’s residents expect for their investment,” he said. “With the added cost, there must be a noticeable benefit.”
