Business

V. I. Energy Office Pushing For Government To Adopt Transportation Energy Efficiency

In keeping with 2009's Act 7075, which was established in an effort to reduce the territory's dependence on fossil fuels by 60 percent by the year 2025, the Virgin Islands Energy Office has embarked upon a program to help raise the profile of transportation energy efficiency in the territory by introducing clean energy cars into its fleet. The move, if adopted by all other government agencies, could mean significant savings at the pump for the V.I. government, according to one energy official. The Energy Office has purchased four hybrid vehicles, including two Toyota Prius's and two Ford Escapes, as well as two all-electric Nissan Leaf cars, which were the topic of a presentation at an energy symposium held last week in St. Thomas. "We've now developed a pilot program to move transportation efficiency forward," explained Patricia Lord, SEP grants program coordinator. "In developing that program, that's when we purchased those vehicles." In her presentation to c...