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Green Is the Word

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 16, 2008

Hillsborough County's goal to become a regional economic hub based on the biotechnology industry will be enhanced with our focus today on building a clean, green environment.

The facts clearly demonstrate that those communities that invest in high-tech jobs also enjoy cleaner environments. That's why Hillsborough County is going green, and encouraging public-private partnerships aimed at stimulating green communities.

Power

Tampa Electric helped blaze the trail 10 years ago with its $1.2 billion environmental improvement initiative that reduced its system's carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent. There also was a dramatic reduction in its sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury emissions. Today, Tampa Electric is poised to provide low-priced energy that is cleaner than any similar coal-fired facility in the world.

Hillsborough County has partnered with Covanta Energy to improve our Resource Recovery Facility (waste-to-energy) located on Falkenburg Road from its current capacity of 1,200 tons per day to 1,800 tons per day. This will allow us to divert 200,000 tons of solid waste annually from our Southeast County landfill to provide electricity for 35,000 homes.

Water

Capturing water runoff and reclaiming wastewater protects our groundwater from overuse and helps to spare Tampa Bay nitrogen pollution that threatens seagrass. Currently, the county supplies an average of 20.2 million gallons of reclaimed water to more than 15,000 residential and commercial customers. Plans are in the works to expand that service.

An expansion project also is under way to outfit the county's Falkenburg Wastewater Treatment Plant to receive electricity directly from our waste-to-energy facility. This is expected to save taxpayers an estimated $380,000 a year in energy costs.

Green Buildings And Facilities

Hillsborough County is taking the "LEED" (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) on green initiatives. For example, the new Tampa Bay History Center will be the first county-owned, LEED-certified building with state-of-the-art energy saving features.

Moreover, the county offers a "green roof" incentive that encourages builders to count space on the roof as part of required green space, and we provide expedited review of green development site plans. The county continues to find new ways to encourage green building for residential and commercial developments.

Preserving Green Space

The county has put tax dollars to work purchasing more than 43,600 acres of land through the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program since its inception in 1987. This program, which has cost $186 million to date, preserves natural habitat, water, and reduces flood risk in flood-prone areas.

Going Green

Whether it's purchasing new hybrid fleet vehicles or retrofitting the county-owned traffic signals with LED lights instead of incandescent lights, Hillsborough County is dedicated to providing high-tech jobs and a green environment.

I encourage you to contact the county with ideas and suggestions on how we can make our region even greener and more energy efficient. After all, it's great for our community, our economy and our quality of life.

Mark Sharpe is a Hillsborough County commissioner.

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