Mayors Derrick Henry of Daytona Beach, FL; Stephen Benjamin of Columbia, SC; Rick Kriseman of St. Petersberg, FL; and Elise Partin of Cayce, SC, celebrate the unanimous passage of the "100% Renewable Energy in American Cities" resolution at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami Beach.
On June 26, Mayor Steve Benjamin of Columbia, S.C., and Mayor Philip Levine of Miami Beach, Fla., held a press conference in Miami Beach to announce that the U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously passed a clean energy resolution entitled “100% Renewable Energy in American Cities.” Mayors Levine and Benjamin were joined at the event by St. Petersburg, FL Mayor Rick Kriseman, Mayor Derrick Henry of Daytona Beach, FL, and Mayor Elise Partin of Cayce, SC.
As adopted, the U.S. Conference of Mayors resolution “supports cities establishing a community-wide target of powering their communities with 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2035.”
Mayors Benjamin and Levine, who are co-chairs of the Mayors for 100% Clean Energy initiative along with Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, highlighted the growing support for clean, renewable energy in cities across the country.
The resolution passed after the Sierra Club announced last week that over 100 mayors have endorsed the goal of powering their communities entirely with clean,renewable energy and joined the Mayors for 100% Clean Energy initiative. This initiative is part of the Sierra Club’s broader Ready for 100 Campaign advocating for a just and equitable transition to 100 percent, clean renewable energy such as wind and solar power in communities nationwide.
“This resolution represents one of the most ambitious energy policies ever supported by the U.S. Conference of Mayors,” Mayor Benjamin said. “Together, member cities of the Conference of Mayors represent almost half of total U.S. electricity use. We will lead the way towards healthier, stronger communities powered with clean and affordable sources of energy.”
Mayor Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg, FL added comments on how his city is already striving toward their goals: “Last July we launched the first solar cooperative in West Central Florida. Today, many American families are able to spend less on energy because of affordable energy solutions like solar and less energy waste.”
A Sierra Club analysis released during the conference found that if all U.S. Conference of Mayors member cities shift to 100 percent renewable energy, the United States can make significant progress in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. At the 85th Annual Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, city leaders from across the country affirmed their belief in that goal.