Montgomery County Plans To Continue Fighting Climate Change

NORRISTOWN, PA — The Montgomery County Commissioners announced a series of initiatives aimed at continuing the fight against climate change. In addition to establishing a tangible plan, the announcement is a symbolic statement of solidarity with local governments across the country who disagree with President Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, an international accord signed by nearly every country on Earth to collectively reduce carbon emissions.

“Montgomery County, PA is joining hundreds of mayors and county officials who are committed to reducing their carbon footprint. Climate change is a scientific fact, and we must work together to reduce our CO2 emissions. The health and wellbeing of Montgomery County residents is at stake and that is a responsibility I take very seriously," the statement, issued jointly by commissioners Valerie Arkoosh and Kenneth Lawrence, reads.

Some of the specific measures highlighted by the county that have been implemented since 2007:

• Electric vehicle charging station added to Courthouse garage
• More than 90 miles of trails built
• $2.4 million in water and energy conservation measures implemented at Courthouse
• Purchasing hybrid vehicles for county use
• Participating in federally funded projects promoting solar energy
• Improving county greenways, adding 1,1000 trees to county park land
• Adding 9,000 acres of protected farmland
• Preserving 400 acres of ecologically important open space
• Promoting use of LED lighting

Officials said that green efforts by the county had resulted in a net reduction of 136,502 metric tons of carbon over the past decade.

Patch file photo