LONG BEACH, CA – Long Beach may be cleaning up its act when it comes to the 1,700 cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and other vehicles in the city’s fleet, according to the Web site, www.gazettes.com. The City Council voted last week for officials to prepare short-term and long-term plans for modernizing the city’s vehicle fleet with energy-efficient vehicles such as gas-electric hybrids, clean-diesel machines, and fuel-cell vehicles. The issue was raised by First District Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal and Third District Councilman Frank Colonna, both of whom drive hybrid cars. Lowenthal, who has had a city-issued Toyota Prius for nearly two years, said the request is a follow-up on a similar request for a report she made in November 2003. Rising gas prices are only part of the reason for revisiting the issue, she said. “I believe it’s important for the city to embrace conservation everywhere it can, whether it’s automobiles or buildings,” she said before the meeting. “The city needs to set a standard and be a role model for the public to increase awareness of the value of conservation.” Colonna, who recently purchased his own Ford Escape Hybrid, said soaring pump prices make this a good time to plan for replacing city vehicles that “aren’t quite as economical as they ought to be.” “It sends the message that we are looking toward the future and wanting to deal with something like this now more than ever, considering how expensive it is to go from place to place,” he said. The city already has a history of using energy-efficient vehicles, according to Megan Blesener, city fleet manager. The city fleet — all vehicles excluding those in the Water and Harbor departments — already includes more than 300 energy-saving vehicles ranging from the nation’s first liquid natural gas-powered street sweepers to sedans running on compressed natural gas, Blesener said. Lowenthal’s Toyota Prius is one of about 125 gas-electric hybrids in the fleet, she added. There also are about 300 alternative-fuel vehicles using natural gas — either compressed (CNG) or liquid (LNG). In 1994, Long Beach was the first city in California designated a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program, an effort that encourages public-private partnerships to increase the number of alternative-fuel vehicles on city streets. In part, the city’s ongoing acquisition of alternative-fuel vehicles has been out of necessity. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) — the smog control agency for the region — imposes strict guidelines concerning emissions of government vehicle and equipment fleets. Cost is obviously an issue in pursuing new technology. Colonna and other have touted the fuel savings that would come from increasing the number of energy-efficient vehicles in the city fleet. Blesener estimated that the city spends more than $3 million annually on vehicle fuel. Though she could not say what the savings would be from increasing the number of hybrids and other alternative-fuel vehicles, she cautioned that the savings could be offset by the increased cost of the vehicles themselves. A hybrid sedan costs about $10,000 more than a comparable regular car, while energy-efficiency in the heavy equipment class can add as much as $30,000 to the price tag. Colonna pointed out that the recent federal energy bill provides tax credits to purchasers of energy-efficient vehicles. Blesener said that while governments are not eligible for the tax credits per se, the savings would be passed on in the form of a price reduction by the vehicle dealer.