City Receives SCAG Sustainability Award

San Bernardino Receives SCAG Sustainability Award
Posted on May 24, 2023

Mayor Helen Tran (center) and Council Member Damon Alexander (right) receive the SCAG Sustainability Award for Alternative Fuels
and Infrastructure from SCAG Vice President and Long Beach City Council Member Cindy Allen (left).

City of San Bernardino Receives
SCAG Sustainability Award for Its Clean Fleet Policy

The City of San Bernardino has received the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Sustainability Award for Alternative Fuels and Infrastructure for its Zero Emission First – Clean Fleet Policy. The City was recognized at SCAG’s regional conference, held in Palm Desert. Mayor Helen Tran and Council Member Damon Alexander were on hand to receive the award.

“We are pleased and honored to be recognized by SCAG for our Clean Fleet Policy,” said San Bernardino Council Member Damon Alexander, who also sits on the SCAG Regional Council. “It not only speaks to San Bernardino’s commitment to sustainability but is a roadmap to make a difference.”

The award was one of seven sustainability awards presented by SCAG recognizing excellence and innovation to improve mobility, livability, prosperity, and sustainability. SCAG is the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization, encompassing six counties (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura), 191 cities, and 19 million people in an area covering more than 38,000 square miles.

San Bernardino’s Clean Fleet Policy was unanimously adopted by the City Council on December 7, 2022. It serves as the City’s first initiative to reduce emissions from its daily operations.  The policy establishes a framework for transitioning the City’s fleet from gas powered vehicles to zero to low-emission vehicles. The policy represents San Bernardino’s commitment to environmental responsibility.

The core objectives of San Bernardino’s Clean Fleet Policy include:

  •      Procure new and replace existing fleet vehicles with alternative fuel vehicles, with a focus on procuring all electric vehicles.
  •      Optimize the fleet size by eliminating unused or underused vehicles through review and evaluation of vehicle utilization and redundancy reports.
  •      Limit the procurement of gasoline and/or diesel-powered vehicles.
  •      Execute a plan to expand the network of charging stations city-wide.
  •      Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants through the elimination of fossil fuel combustion.
  •      Decrease costs associated with fleet vehicle operations, which can be reinvested into the community.

The Clean Fleet Policy is the first of a series of strategies and initiatives the San Bernardino intends to pursue to support the City’s efforts to achieve net zero emissions in its operations.