Friday, February 26, 2010

City Switches To Re-Refined Oil In Fleet Vehicles

Did you know that the City of Spokane’s Fleet Services Department is now using re-refined motor oil for all City-owned vehicles, as part of ongoing work at the City to implement sustainable practices? I didn't either, but a news release just sent out says the City will spend an additional $2,300 a year to buy the re-refined oil, which typically costs about 25 cents more per gallon than new motor oil. The City has about 1,400 vehicles in its fleet and uses about 9,200 gallons of oil annually.

Less energy is required to produce a gallon of re-refined motor oil than motor oil directly from crude oil. According to the release, buying re-refined oil reduces U.S. dependence on foreign oil, conserves natural resources, eliminates a waste material, and helps create jobs.

Since Mayor Verner took office, the City has implemented a series of steps to be more 'sustainable.' Some recent examples include:

- Community Gardens in East Central and Hillyard opened last summer on vacant Water Department property.
- Recycled glass was used in the subgrade as part of the reconstruction of Market Street.
- A $100 rebate was offered to citizens who agreed to remove 1,000 square feet of lawn and replace it with xeriscaping or similar water-conserving landscaping.
- A Green Building Resource Center was opened in City Hall, and a sustainability collection was added at the Downtown Library.
- The addition of new technology that powers down employees’ personal computers when not in use.

3 comments:

LED Signs said...

Hey are you gone crazy!!! Re-Refined oil in vehicles? This sounds something odd. Though less energy is required to produce a gallon of re-refined motor oil than motor oil directly from crude oil, it will not work for a long time.

SRTC Staff said...

Gone crazy?? LED- I've BEEN crazy for a while now. I'm not well-versed in re-refined oil so can't speak to how long it will last but the City's press release made it sound like it's the best thing since sliced bread.

led signs said...

This is really nice of you. All of us must think about the future and then plan accordingly, whether it is regarding the vehicles or something else.


About SRTC

SRTC is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Spokane County. Urbanized areas with populations exceeding 50,000 people are required to have an MPO. SRTC was formed to address the county's transportation planning needs. It provides coordination in planning between the public, cities, small towns, the county, the state, transit providers, and tribes.

SRTC offers services including transportation monitoring, transportation modeling, census information analysis, travel demand forecasting, historical traffic count analysis, geographic information systems, and trip generation rates.