The Sierra Club has announced that two more U.S. municipalities have made commitments to transition to 100% clean energy – the Town of Hillsborough, N.C., and the Borough of Phoenixville, Pa.
On Monday, Hillsborough became the first town in North Carolina and the 43rd in the U.S. to commit to transition to 100% renewables. Specifically, the town’s board of commissioners voted to establish a 100% clean energy goal by 2050.
Six North Carolina mayors have already endorsed powering their communities entirely with renewable energy as part of the Mayors for 100% Clean Energy initiative, says the Sierra Club. Other North Carolina communities, including Boone and Asheville, have passed resolutions calling for a national transition to 100% renewables by 2050. Hillsborough’s vote also came just one week after the Orange County, N.C., board of commissioners unanimously approved the same goal for its county.
On Tuesday, Phoenixville became the 44th U.S. municipality and the first in Pennsylvania to make a 100% clean energy commitment. The borough’s council unanimously approved a measure establishing a goal of transitioning entirely to renewable sources of electricity by 2035. The resolution calls on the community to prioritize locally produced renewable energy from sources including wind, solar and small-scale hydro.
At the public hearing portion of the borough council meeting, 20 residents and local activists testified their support for the measure, notes the Sierra Club. Phoenixville leaders later passed the commitment by seven votes to zero.
Previously, Phoenixville Mayor Michael Speck endorsed a 100% clean energy vision. Other Chester County civic leaders have spoken out in support of the same goal in their communities, such as Mayor Jordan Norley of West Chester and Mayor Josh Maxwell of Downingtown.
In June, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced his support for a goal of transitioning Philadelphia to 100% renewable energy. At the time, Kenney represented the 100th mayor to sign this pledge, joining the growing coalition of the Mayors for 100% Clean Energy initiative. More than 150 mayors, including 11 from Pennsylvania, have now joined the initiative, according to the Sierra Club.
