Sonoma County vehicle fleet honored as greenest in nation

Sonoma County has been recognized in an annual nationwide competition as having the most environmentally sustainable fleet of government vehicles in the country.

The county placed first in the “Green Fleet Awards,” besting 49 other municipalities and public entities across the U.S., including the state of California, which placed 30th and New York City, which placed 35th.

The competition, open to all local, state and federal government fleets in North America, recognizes jurisdictions that operate energy-saving vehicles. The idea is to encourage the spread of government fleets that reduce emissions, increase fuel efficiency and use alternative fuels, such as ethanol. Sonoma County was recognized, in part, because more than a quarter of its fleet of 1,050 vehicles are electric or hybrid vehicles.

“The transportation sector makes up about 50 percent of emissions in Sonoma County, so lowering greenhouse gas emission is a huge challenge we need to overcome,” said David Worthington, the county’s fleet manager. “This is one example of how we can do that, and this award recognizes us for it.”

A Las Vegas water district took second place at the September competition in Columbus, Ohio, and Denver placed third. Alameda County, which placed fifth, was the only other agency in the Bay Area that ranked in the top 50.

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ahartreports.