Pittsburgh Plans to Power Itself With 100% Renewable Energy

By Leanna Garfield, Business Insider

05 June 17

n Thursday, President Donald Trump announced he would pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. But not all US cities want to withdraw from the accord.

Pittsburgh aims to transition to 100% renewable-energy sources, like wind and solar, by 2035, Mayor Bill Peduto said on Friday.

Peduto said he was joining a coalition that intends to uphold the Paris Agreement called Mayors for 100% Clean Energy. The coalition, an initiative of the Sierra Club's Ready for 100 campaign, represents an increasing number of US mayors who have endorsed a communitywide goal of switching completely to clean energy.

Thirty cities, three states, more than 80 university presidents, and more than 100 companies recently launched another group with similar goals. Organized by Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire philanthropist and former New York City mayor, that coalition would submit to the UN a plan to commit to greenhouse-gas limits set in the Paris Agreement, according to The New York Times.

In his speech announcing the planned withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement, Trump said: "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."

Peduto responded on Twitter: "As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future."

"Donald Trump said he was elected by voters of Pittsburgh, but his misguided decision to withdraw from the Paris climate [agreement] does not reflect the values of our city," Peduto said in a press release announcing the city's plan to use 100% renewable energy. "Pittsburgh will not only heed the guidelines of the Paris Agreement — we will work to move towards 100 percent clean and renewable energy for our future, our economy, and our people."