Environmental Commission discusses landfill flare
The commission also voted to purchase multiple electric or hybrid vehicles for the city fleet, including Oxford Police Department squad cars and service department vehicles.
The Oxford Environmental Commission voted to recommend to the Oxford City Council adding a third landfill flare, purchasing electric or hybrid vehicles for the city fleet and developing a communication plan for big energy users.
If installed, the third landfill flare would be placed on gas vents 19 and 20, which are in close proximity to one another, allowing a single flare to service both vents. The project is estimated to cost anywhere from $12,000 up to $15,000 if a blower is required to help move the methane gas toward the vents and flare.
The flares already installed at the landfill have proven effective and have reduced emissions by the equivalent of 112,524 gallons of gasoline. Methane is over 28 times as potent as carbon, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Although burning it off does produce some carbon, the effect is negligible compared to the potential effects of the methane emissions.
The commission also voted to purchase multiple electric or hybrid vehicles for the city fleet, which includes Oxford Police Department (OPD) squad cars and service department vehicles.
While replacing some vehicles, like OPD cruisers with electric vehicles, may greatly reduce emissions due to frequency of use, it would be easier to replace less-frequently used ones from the service department. Police cruisers are required to have certain specifications electric vehicles don’t always possess. Additionally, OPD vehicles need to be operational at all times without waiting to charge.
If current OPD vehicles were replaced with electric ones, the city would also need to set aside money for a dedicated charger so the department would not be reliant on public ones. This would leave less money to purchase additional vehicles.
The commission agreed to include purchasing hybrid vehicles in their recommendation to the council, which would be more environmentally beneficial than current vehicle models without jeopardizing resident safety. City Councilor Jason Bracken, who sits on the commission, suggested looking at purchasing used hybrids for a cheaper price.
“They were incredibly underpriced, and they last a lot longer than they were ever thought to last,” Bracken said.
The commission will also recommend developing communications with the biggest energy users in the area, like Walmart and Kroger, to gauge interest in renewable energy. This recommendation will not require additional costs, but will be a use of city staff time.
Additionally, the commission agreed to continue the deer management plan, which has been in place for multiple years, to help with Oxford’s overpopulation of deer.
