At Westlock County's Committee of the Whole meeting on May 13, a draft energy policy was presented for its first appearance. As stated in the briefing notes, the policy is a way for Westlock County to formalize their “commitment to responsible and effective energy management.” Using this as a guideline to reduce energy waste and promote efficiency in operations and future planning.
The policy outlines how the county will invest in energy-efficient systems and optimize energy usage in municipal buildings, including with their fleets.
A debate over the use of electric vehicles ensued during the meeting, leading to some changes to be made before the second reading. Councillors brought up the term ‘invest’ being used in the “gradual replacement of County vehicles with electric, hybrid or fuel-efficient models…” and have opted to change the word to explore.
A similar debate happened over the idea to invest in charging infrastructure for County-owned vehicles. Patrick Jean, the Municipal Energy Manager, said that “It’s about making smarter decisions and looking at our energy long term, not just the upfront cost and stuff like that.”
The adoption of the policy has no financial costs attached to it. The draft has been set to come for a second reading in a future council meeting after some minor re-wording adjustments are made.
