May 4, 2018
Two days after an Earth Day People's Climate March, more than a dozen Sierra Club activists made their way to an afternoon Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) board meeting to make their voices heard on RPU's infrastructure plan. The infrastructure plan is a long range planning document for how the utility will supply Rochester with electricity over the next 25 years. Speakers unanimously called for clean energy and against expanded dirty gas infrastructure in the current infrastructure plan.
RPU board and senior staff agreed that it is time to plan for a clean energy future in America's City for Health. They committed to including several scenarios in the new infrastructure plan that increase renewable energy, including one that outlines a plan to achieve 100% renewable energy.
This important step towards climate action in Rochester comes at a time when our rural neighbors to the east in Winona County are fighting gas industry mining interests bearing down on their lands, and our Native and Indigenous neighbors to the north are fighting against pipeline expansions threatening their waters and treaty lands. For the health and wellbeing of our local neighbors, Rochester must continue to walk the path to a 100% renewable future.
Sierra Club activists outside of Rochester Public Utilities board room following the historic commitment to plan for 100% renewable energy.
Rochester high school students leading the Earth Day People's Climate March in downtown Rochester, MN.
Press coverage: http://www.kimt.com/content/news/Rochester-to-use-100-renewable-energy-480844031.html
Watch the FaceBook Live video of the RPU board meeting: https://www.facebook.com/RochesterMNSierra/videos/624704771200195/