Minneapolis Taxi Standard Fuels Alt-Fuel Debate

Published: 30-Jul-2007

When the City Council voted earlier this year to overhaul the city’s taxicab ordinance, among the changes that passed was a requirement all taxicabs be fuel efficient within a decade.

City officials have repeatedly touted the fuel-efficiency rule as a groundbreaking green initiative, and a sign of the city’s commitment to reducing global warming emissions.

When energy experts were asked this month to critique the policy, however, some said the way the city defined fuel-efficient — 23 miles per gallon, city driving — makes the rule so weak that its environmental impact will be modest at best.

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