Last night, on a 6-1 vote, the City of Denton voted to revise the city utility's energy plan to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2020. What are the next steps for the city? It's the "beginning of an energy transformation" according to Denton resident and Sierra Club member Ed Soph. Here is our press statement on the news. There will be more to come, so stay tuned!
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Today, the City of Denton became the second municipality in Texas to commit to transition to 100 percent clean and renewable sources of energy.
The Denton City Council voted to revise the city’s Renewable Denton Plan, which now includes a goal of producing enough energy from renewables to meet 100 percent of its electric needs from contracts with solar and wind developers as early as 2020. A copy of Denton’s ordinance and staff presentation on the energy plan can be seen here and here.
Tuesday’s vote makes Denton the 58th city in the country to commit to 100 percent clean energy.
In response, Ed Soph, Denton resident and Sierra Club member, and Cyrus Reed, Conservation Director of the Sierra Club’s Lone Star Chapter, issued the following statements:
Ed Soph: “This is the beginning of an energy transformation in Denton. The foundation has been laid for the day when Denton has its own renewable generation capability with community and utility-scale solar installations.”
Cyrus Reed: “The Sierra Club applauds Denton City Council for its leadership and pragmatism. They could have easily let their current plan ride, but they decided to take a closer look at their options and make smarter decisions that will save people money on their bills.”
“We encourage city leaders and Denton Municipal Electric to take the next step to transition away from relying on the Gibbons Creek coal plant, as well as ensuring their next renewable energy investments include community solar projects and energy storage.”