Mayor seeks energy efficiency expert
The mayor gave the Green Initiative Trust Fund $100,000. That's about half of what the city has saved by combining its energy purchases with Allegheny County.
Ravenstahl says a coordinator will be hired for $45,000 annually to help implement the Green Government Task Force's plan to cut pollution in the city by 20 percent.
Environmental officials say they hope the trust fund will get matching state, federal and foundation grants.
They say making some of the city's old buildings energy efficient could cost millions of dollars.
Related News

First US coal plant in years opens where no options exist
WASHINGTON - One way to boost coal in the US: Find a spot near a mine with no access to oil or natural gas pipelines, where it’s not particularly windy and it’s dark much of the year.
That’s how the first coal-fired plant to open in the U.S. since 2015 bucked the trend in an industry that’s seen scores of facilities close in recent years. A 17-megawatt generator, built for $245 million, is set to open in April at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, just 100 miles from the state’s only coal mine.
“Geography really drove what options are available to us,”…