Fully half of Montgomery County's population lives in communities committed to a fossil-fuel-free future.
Lower Providence Township was recently the 19th municipality in the county to adopt those or similar goals.
Since 2018, the county’s Ready for 100 Team has supported Montgomery County’s
municipalities in adopting and committing to emission reduction targets with the objective of transitioning to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2035; achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions in all remaining sectors by 2050; and establishing policies and programs to modernize local infrastructure to ease the transition to 100 percent renewable energy.
Lower Providence Supervisor Gary Neights said he was proud of the township for “taking action” in an effort to limit the impact of hydrocarbons.
“This follows other actions our township has taken in recent years, including the adoption of a Sustainability Resolution in 2019, the establishment of an Environmental Advisory Council in 2020, the addition of sustainability best practices to the Comprehensive Plan in 2023, and now a commitment to 100 percent clean energy in Lower Providence by mid-century,” Neights said.
Douglas White, a long-serving member of Lower Providence’s Environmental Advisory Council, which had pushed for the clean energy resolution, agreed.
“This is a collaborative, iterative process. The next step will be the drafting of an Energy Transition Plan that all of us—residents, businesses and local government alike—can live with,” White said. “'Going green' is more than a catchphrase about recycling; it's a comprehensive program to reach sustainability goals that not only save money and offset carbon, but means a commitment to our children’s future and the planet's survival.”
The 19 municipalities with clean energy resolutions in place are the boroughs of Ambler, Bridgeport, Conshohocken, Hatboro, Narberth and Norristown; and the townships of Abington, Cheltenham, Lower Gwynedd, Lower Merion, Lower Providence, Montgomery, Plymouth, Springfield, Upper Dublin, Upper Merion, West Norriton, Whitemarsh, and Whitpain.
Several of these municipalities have drafted energy transition or climate action plans and some have already made significant clean-energy investments, such as adding hybrid and electric vehicles to their municipal fleets, installing solar and water source heat pumps using geothermal in municipal facilities, and—in the case of Lower Providence—making sure that sustainability is a core design principle of its new township complex.
Meanwhile, the Montgomery County Planning Commission is working on a Climate Action Plan that will provide a framework for its municipalities.
Recent federal incentives—including a 30 percent reduction in the cost of solar
installations—are available for municipalities, nonprofits, faith groups and schools, making it a great time to invest in clean energy.
For more information on enlisting your municipality in the fight for a cleaner future, email: readyfor100montcopa@gmail.com.
Visit the PA Sierra Club’s Ready for 100% Montgomery County webpage for more information on this initiative.
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[Posted: August 27, 2024] PA Environment Digest
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