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Portland commissioners are expected to pass a resolution today that requires the city to adopt a goal of cutting oil and natural gas consumption in half by 2030 to head off predictions of a looming oil shortage.

The resolution, led by Commissioner Dan Saltzman, would require cuts for residents, businesses and government in a city that fancies itself a leader in sustainable development.

Some savings will be easy to achieve because so much fuel is wasted each day on transportation and space heating, said Bill Scott, a member of the city-appointed task force that has studied the issue since last year.

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Changing transportation infrastructure and individual lifestyles, however, might prove considerably more difficult. One costs money, and the other requires altering how people do everyday tasks, such as getting to work and shopping for groceries.

But Commissioner Sam Adams said the future of fossil fuel requires a fresh approach.

"We need to find a new way to maintain the mobility of the city," Adams said, "given that oil costs are going to go through the roof."

What might that mean for the average person?

Adams sees a bigger investment in mass transit to limit one-person car commuters. That could mean expanded streetcar lines, more marketing for car pools or more buses. It could also mean a freeway toll lane.

Portland is known for redevelopment projects that include housing and retail and thus limit driving. Adams said the city might push that type of development further.

"We are the national leader in some of these things," he said. "But we need to do more."

The resolution represents six months of work by the task force, which recently finished a long report that will guide the city in its efforts.

In some ways, the report repeated what everyone knows: Dependence on fossil fuel isn't sustainable, especially with predictions that say the global production of oil could peak in the next 10 to 15 years.

The city is ahead of the curve. SustainLane, a Web-based ranking system, puts Portland No. 1 among the nation's 50 biggest cities for sustainability. Portland is also one of the first cities to tackle issues related to oil production peaking and a leader in cutting carbon dioxide emissions.

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But a 50 percent cut in fuel consumption in a city of more than a half-million people is a tall order.

While the report includes 11 major recommendations to help reduce fuel consumption, the resolution itself is a loose framework intended to help the city achieve a nonbinding goal.

Besides, city government has only so much influence on residents and private businesses. The city can't make everyone take the bus. But it can charge for parking to discourage driving.

"We can create an environment where people have the flexibility to make decisions that reduce fuel use," said Michael Armstrong, who works in the city's office of sustainable development and helped oversee the task force.