Jul. 15--Hoping to make the city greener, Los Angeles officials are looking at burying utility lines at a faster pace, cleaning up the river and rehabbing municipal buildings.

City Councilman Herb Wesson on Tuesday proposed "Invest in a Green L.A.," a three-point program that would help the city take advantage of federal funds for environmentally friendly projects while creating more jobs.

"This is precedent-setting and will make Los Angeles a national pioneer and a model in making the green economy work for the city and its residents," Wesson said at a City Hall news conference.

Wesson said initial studies will look at how much money the city needs for the various projects, including moving power lines underground, cleaning up the Los Angeles River and completing the environmental cleanup of renovated municipal buildings.

The Department of Water and Power has 9,491 miles of overhead power lines and 3,432 miles underground.

Wesson said the department has had a program to pay for half the cost of undergrounding if it can find a sponsor for the remaining costs. Wesson said he has a goal of undergrounding 25 percent of the remaining overhead power lines by 2030.

DWP Commissioner Jonathan Parfrey said undergrounding power lines improves reliability of power to customers and has other advantages, like less tree trimming.

Other aspects of the Wesson proposal would require the city to bring all its own buildings up to the most modern environmental standards when they are being rehabilitated. It also would impose the same standards on housing, which receives at least $25,000 from the city.

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