The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously approved a measure that instructs the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to come up with an equitable strategy to power the city with 100% clean energy.
With this vote, the LADWP will now convene a collaborative working group to identify investments and priorities for making the full transition to clean energy, says the Sierra Club, which adds that the department will have 90 days to deliver a timeline for the study.
“This is an enormous step forward that will help preserve our environment and lead us to a more sustainable future,” said Councilman Paul Krekorian, who co-authored the measure with Councilman Mike Bonin. “For the third year running, Los Angeles was ranked as the most polluted city in the country – which is unacceptable and unhealthy for our families and neighborhoods.”
According to the Sierra Club, 17 U.S. cities have already committed to achieving 100% clean energy, including Salt Lake City, San Diego and San Francisco. Internationally, cities including Paris, Sydney and Vancouver have established 100% clean energy targets of their own. In August, the City of Denver similarly announced that it would undertake a study identifying pathways to 100% clean energy.
In a statement, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called the city “a leader in the fight against climate change, and we’re on our way to a clean energy future.”
“The motion passed today will bring more progress toward the goals laid out in my Sustainable City pLAn and the directives I issued to LADWP following the Aliso Canyon disaster – taking action to achieve 50 percent renewable energy by 2030, ending our use of coal five years before that, and working to reduce our dependence on natural gas,” said Garcetti. “Environmental stewardship is a value we treasure in L.A., and I’m grateful to Councilmembers Bonin and Krekorian, and the entire city council, for bringing us another step closer to cleaner air, healthier families, and a stronger economy.”
