In 2020, City of Moscow leadership, including staff and elected officials, accomplished their 20% by 2020 goal (see more on this below). We believe that this sets the stage for Moscow to commit to a climate future the matches the immediacy of the moment, and are mobilizing support in Moscow for a 100% clean, renewable energy future. As the City of Moscow prepares to set in place a new climate action plan in 2022, we are raising community voices to advance local climate solutions that center equity and the climate economy of the future. Moscow is #Readyfor100 percent clean, renewable energy for all.
Sign your support to this petition to help grow this movement, and read on to know more about the great work that Moscow already has and is doing to address the climate crisis, and more.
What is the 20% by 2020 goal? And what is the City of Moscow up to now?
The City of Moscow was one of, if not the first, city in Idaho to set measurable climate action goals with it’s 20% by 2020 initiative in 2010. This goal set the City of Moscow on a trajectory to reduce carbon emissions from municipal operations by 20% by the year 2020. City leadership also added Climate Change to the City of Moscow’s Strategic Plan as a Tier 2 Major Challenge Areas.
The City of Moscow is currently undergoing a process to set in place new climate action goals. This process started earlier this year with a municipal carbon audit and financial analysis of potential municipal-owned renewable energy and weatherization projects. Staff, supported by the Sustainable Environment Commission and Climate Action Working Group, presented their findings to city council on April 26th. You can watch their presentation here, or read the minutes here.
Leadership has done an extremely commendable job building a strong foundation for carbon reduction in municipal operations, and have shown an ability to implement bold solutions within the bounds of a 10-year capital improvement plan while also saving taxpayer money.
And just last Monday, the City of Moscow allotted $20,000 in the FY2022 budget for Climate Action after hearing from residents that supported such a decision - the first time Moscow's leadership has allocated specific funding to address climate change.
What comes next in Moscow?
Moving forward, staff will be presenting to elected officials at a follow-up sustainability workshop in September (date TBD), again in December and then will be setting new municipal goals in early 2022, likely in the spring. The scope of the plan will be set at the September workshop based on information provided by staff including examples from other cities, updated potential project lists and associated costs, the City’s sequestration calculations and other information. Then a draft climate action plan will be reviewed in December before final adoption in early 2022. We have heard that the City of Moscow wants to resume their mantle as a leader in climate action in the state, and we applaud this pathway.
As advocates, we’d still like to see the city set an inclusive, stakeholder-influenced community-wide 100% clean energy goal for Moscow, that utilizes the strong carbon reduction municipal work that Moscow staff, the Sustainable Environment Commission and elected officials have led on for over a decade, as a foundation for working with broader constituents in the community, including several entities that have set similar goals such as the University of Idaho, Avista Power Company and other community members.
How do cities achieve 100% renewable energy, or create a plan to get there?
This sort of initiative has become the norm across the country, with over 110 million people living under a 100% clean energy commitment. In fact, close to 50 cities across the country have already achieved 100% clean energy for their cities, including places as disparate as Rock Port, IA, Kodiak Island, AK and Burlington, VT.
Community-wide, 100% clean energy goals are not just aspirational; cities are taking real action to actually make this happen including:
-
Entering into unique partnerships with utility companies, like the Batesville School District in Arkansas, where teachers were able to receive $3,000 annual raises after the small, rural district was able to realize immense utility savings on their quest to reach carbon neutrality
-
How Greensburg, Kansas utilized federal grants and funding to rebuild their energy infrastructure following a 2007 tornado and achieved 100% renewable energy. Residents also prioritized aggressive water and native plant conservation in this effort.
-
Working with private investors, like the Carson City School District, can lead to receiving multi-million dollar grants from companies like Tesla to install renewable energy sources to move towards ambitious clean energy goals set by the school district.
Burlington, VT, is a prime example of a city that utilized an “all-of-the-above” strategy to achieve 100% clean energy, making this happen by inviting private investment, using federal funding and building strategic partnerships with regional utility companies to achieve their ambitious clean energy goal. This Politico article is an incredible story about Burlington’s all-hands-on-deck approach.
Want to help? We need you. Sign your support to this petition.