EDITORIAL : WILL L.A. GO GREEN?

THE Department of Water and Power today is announcing an innovative and aggressive program to persuade city residents and businesses to buy electricity generated from the sun, wind and water.

It's a shrewd move that the agency is hoping will help it retain its customers when the full force of deregulation hits the city in 2002 and people can choose their own power company.

By getting customers to pay about 6 percent more - or $3 for every $50 on their bills - DWP will be able to buy electricity from ``green'' companies and invest in its own solar generating stations, wind farms, geothermal energy plants and the burning of organic matter called biomass.

Currently, the DWP generates nearly 60 percent of its energy from coal, which contributes greatly to the deterioration of the ozone layer and smog buildup; up to 12 percent from nuclear sources, which results in radioactive waste; and 28 percent from water.

But buyer beware, the DWP does not guarantee that 100 percent of the electricity wired into those residences and businesses will be from green sources. It's more of an investment program.

The DWP has signed up some major players in town, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, the J. Paul Getty Trust, Kaiser Permanante and the Church of Scientology.

Missing from the first investors so far is the utility's monopolistic owner: the city of Los Angeles, also one of the DWP's largest customers.

If green power is good for everyone, why hasn't the City Council signed up already? Will individual council members pay for it at their homes?

On Friday, the council will consider a motion by Councilwoman Ruth Galanter that suggests switching to green power. But before signing on the dotted line, Galanter asked the city to study the issue.

When the liberal-dominated City Council does finally agree to join the program, it should consider other means to improve participation. Requiring new housing projects to include expensive solar-paneled roofs may benefit not only the environment but assist in slowing growth in this crowded city.