Sierra Club: Cities are ready for 100 percent clean energy

Contacts:
Shane Levy – shane.levy@sierraclub.org, 201-679-9507
Renner Barsella – renner.barsella@sierraclub.org, 217-390-9394

MADISON, Wis. — Today, the Sierra Club released a new report showcasing 10 U.S. cities that have made ambitious commitments to be powered with 100 percent clean, renewable energy like wind and solar.

This is the second annual case studies report from Ready For 100, a Sierra Club campaign launched in 2016 working in cities across the United States — including Madison — to accelerate a just and equitable transition to 100 percent clean energy.

“Madison showed people across the nation that cities can lead the fight against climate change,” said Elizabeth Katt Reinders of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Wisconsin. “We were the first city to commit to clean energy for all in the Trump era and were the largest city in the Midwest. It’s exciting to see this kind of local leadership and it will take public officials working closely with Madison Gas and Electric to make it happen.”

47 U.S. cities have now committed to transition to 100 percent clean energy, including big cities like Atlanta and small towns such as Abita Springs, Louisiana, which adopted it’s commitment on the same day Madison did. At least five U.S. cities have already achieved 100 percent clean energy and are powered today with entirely renewable sources.

“The time for 100 percent clean energy has come and cities are leading the way,” said Jodie Van Horn, Director of the Sierra Club’s Ready For 100 campaign. “Local leaders know first-hand the harmful effects that pollution and the high cost of dirty energy has on people and families. That’s why nearly 50 communities, from big cities to small towns, have stepped up to break away from dirty fuels and committed to go to 100 percent clean, renewable energy.”

Among the cities highlighted in today’s report are Atlanta, Georgia, the largest city in the South to commit to clean energy; Hanover, New Hampshire, the first city to have committed to 100 percent clean energy by popular vote; and Pueblo, Colorado, where high energy costs from gas power sparked a movement for clean energy.

This report details Madison’s commitment to 100 percent clean energy and the champions that are leading this renewable transition.

The movement for 100 percent clean energy continues to grow across the country. In June, the U.S. Conference of Mayors approved a historic resolution that establishes support from the nation’s mayors for the goal of moving to 100 percent clean and renewable energy in cities nationwide. Multnomah County, Oregon, also recently became the first county in the United States to commit to transition entirely to renewable energy, and since then Orange County, North Carolina followed suit.

View the report here: sc.org/10-case-studies