Cedar Hills officials are pondering having the city become the first in Utah County to use all renewable energy, and they may challenge residents to follow suit.

City officials recently asked the nonprofit group Utah Clean Energy to make a presentation on how Cedar Hills could become the first Environmental Protection Agency Green Power Community in Utah Valley. Utah Clean Energy works to advance energy efficiency and clean renewable energy across Utah. Council members said they will consider the proposal in an upcoming meeting, though Councilman Eric Richardson said he wanted the council to deal with more urgent city business first.

To qualify, Cedar Hills would purchase Blue Sky power from Rocky Mountain Power. Blue Sky is a volunteer program that allows customers to pay extra for their power to ensure it comes from renewable resources, including from a wind farm now being built in Spanish Fork.

It would cost Cedar Hills just more than $100 more per month to purchase Blue Sky power, said Sara Baldwin of Utah Clean Energy. About 2 percent of Cedar Hills residents now buy Blue Sky power, and the city could challenge residents to double that within a year.

"This energy is not coming from a foreign land," she said. "We are diversifying our energy supply. The more Utahns demonstrate their demand for renewable energy, the more we are going to see. This is a great opportunity for Cedar Hills to become the first Blue Sky Community in Utah County, and you are improving the public health and environment for everyone so there is a real benefit."

Depending on how much Blue Sky power the city and its residents purchased, Cedar Hills also could be recognized as a Blue Sky Community, said David Eskelsen of Rocky Mountain Power. Communities are given visionary, champion or supporter status depending on what percent of their total power usage they replace with Blue Sky power. Moab, Alta, Park City and Salt Lake City have been awarded visionary status for switching at least 30 percent.

Councilman Joel Wright said he would like Cedar Hills to become the first Green Power Community in Utah Valley, noting the designation could help improve the city's image. The city could ask residents to double their support of the Blue Sky program in a year "and if they are not responsive, we would huck it," he said.

Though he's willing to spend more for clean power, Councilman Jim Perry said, "I don't want our government sponsoring something that is putting more dollars into someone's pocket in the name of environmentalism."

He said he wanted assurance that all the money spent for the Blue Sky program was going toward the development of renewable energy and that Rocky Mountain was not profiting from the program.

Blue Sky power is purchased in blocks costing $1.95 a piece, Eskelsen said. The typical Utah homeowner would need to purchase seven blocks per month to ensure all their power came from renewable sources.

Both the Green Power Community and Blue Sky Community recognitions are designed to encourage communities to take the lead in purchasing renewable power, said Rebecca Nelson of Utah Clean Energy.

"It is a unique way for them to set the example and work toward more renewable resources," she said.

In 2004, Moab became the first EPA Green Power Community in the nation, she said. The city challenged its residents to join the Blue Sky program and a year later 15 percent had. Since then, Utah Clean Energy has worked with BYU, Sundance and Westminster College, among others, on clean energy campaigns.

Mayor Mike McGee called the project worthwhile and said the city wanted "to have an ever diminishing dependence on fossil fuels." He promised to meet with Utah Clean Energy for more information.

Caleb Warnock can be reached at 443-3263 or cwarnock@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.