Although its heart is in the right place, the city of Albion just isn’t committed enough to addressing environmental issues, according to Erica Tauzer, Gladstone sophomore, member of the Environmental Institute and resident of the E-House.

Albion’s city council voted to officially endorse the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement (MCPO) at its meeting February 19. But according to Tauzer, the document, certified by the city clerk and currently on file at Albion City Hall, is significantly different from the version of the MCPO signed by other mayors from around the country.

 Tauzer, along with Lisa Anderson, Cadillac junior, was responsible for bringing the Climate Protection Agreement to the attention of the city council last fall.

 The MCPO was first proposed by Seattle mayor Mike Nickels on February 16, 2005, in conjunction with the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by 141 countries. Both initiatives require their participants to monitor and drastically reduce their levels of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as adhere to energy- and fuel-efficiency standards.

 “There is no discrepancy; we simply changed parts of the document,” said Mike Herman, City Manager of Albion. “We didn’t want to be dishonest with the public - we endorse the ideals of this document, but some of the requirements just wouldn’t be possible with [Albion’s] current economic situation.”

 The agreement includes twelve commitments, but in Albion’s version two were omitted and five were edited. The pledges to reduce the global warming emissions and to promote sustainable building practices were absent. 

The phrase “when economically feasible” was added to commitment for the use of clean, alternative energy and to retrofit city facilities for increased energy efficiency saw.

While the MCPO requires that only Energy-Star-certified equipment and appliances be purchased for city use, Albion’s version states these would “consider” purchasing them. 

As of press time, the Conference listed the participation of 823 cities across the nation. Albion is not one of the cities recognized. 

Anderson was present at the council meeting where the changes were made. Though she said she was disappointed by the changes made to the document, she empathizes with the city’s position.

 “I totally understand the council’s position; the point is just to get [the city and its citizens] thinking about it,” said Anderson. “A lot of people think environmental [solutions] are expensive, that they have to build something or invest a lot of money, but though the initial startup costs can be high, within five to ten years [their] money will be reciprocated due to the rising cost of energy.”

 According to Herman, the city of Albion is making numerous other efforts to be more environmentally friendly, while also cutting energy costs. The state of Michigan recently awarded Albion a grant to rebuild part of its wastewater plant, allowing it to run off the methane gas naturally produced by the wastewater it processes.

 A pickup truck with an ethanol-compatible dual fuel system was recently purchased for Albion’s Public Works Department. Herman has also considered following Ann Arbor’s recent example in replacing all city-owned street lights with energy-efficient LED, though no timeframe for such project has been set.

 “[The city] shouldn’t get national recognition for something they aren’t really doing,” Tauzer said about the changes in the MCPO. “They are trying, and that’s great, it should be recognized – but they shouldn’t keep the same name.”