US Mayors To Vote On Renewable Energy Plan For Cities

MIAMI BEACH, FL — Mayors meeting in Florida are considering an ambitious commitment to have U.S. city governments run entirely on renewable sources such as wind and solar in two decades.

Leaders from more than 250 cities gathered at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami Beach are voting Monday on a resolution to reach the 100 percent clean energy goal by 2035.

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine is leading the effort after being in the spotlight for his moves to grapple with sea level rise. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

A May survey by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions says 47 cities spent nearly $1.2 billion annually on electricity for city operations.

Mayors at the conference have overwhelmingly expressed support to fight climate change, especially after the Trump administration pulled out of a global climate agreement last month.

Photo credit: Alan Diaz, Associated Press