Creve Coeur Wooed As Potential Green Power Community

could become the second city in Missouri to join an EPA-backed program that encourages communities to increase the amount of "green power" used by local government businesses and residents.

Representatives from Clayton-based Microgrid Energy and a firm partnering with Ameren on the project briefed city council members during a Monday work session. The idea has already been endorsed by the city's Climate Action Task Force.

The City of Clayton recently became the first community to get on board and was the

Creve Coeur would be expected to get 3 percent of its energy, either through housing renewable fuel technology, or by purchasing renewable energy credits, from green sources. According to Monday's presentation, the city is already halfway to the goal, thanks in part to businesses, including which have already begun the work of offsetting their carbon footprint. Crossing the finish line would mean recruiting 10 large businesses in the city to use 80 megawatt-hours of green energy sources per month and more than 700 households to use 1 megawatt-hour per month.

The program would have an annual cost of $3,960, but backers say participating would bring in more than double that amount in municipal utility taxes.

No decision was made to officially move forward with the project, but Monday's presentation laid out a timeline that would have the program launch in July and wrap up in time for Earth Day 2012.

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