17 American cities are committed to running entirely on renewable energy

Boulder, Colorado, joins cities like San Francisco and San Diego in their pledge to move to clean energy by 2030

Solar panels Kerry Sherridan/Getty

Boulder, Colorado, has announced its commitment to completely running on renewable energy by 2030 – making it the 17th US city to make such a pledge.

Mayor Suzanne Jones made the announcement at an event last week, hosted by a number of environmental groups – including the Sierra Club Rocky Mountain Chapter and Google Project Sunroof – urging cities in Colorado to move toward 100 per cent renewable energy sources.

The announcement comes amid a major push toward sustainable energy, as climate change becomes a leading issue in national politics.

“Boulder is committed to achieving 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 as part of our strategy to achieve 80 per cent greenhouse-gas emission reduction by 2050,” Ms Jones said. “[It] is increasingly clear that Congress is not going to address climate change; cities like Boulder need to take the lead.

“We can act as a model for cities across Colorado to craft a sustainable future by shifting our energy model from the dirty fossil fuels of the past to clean, renewable energy.”

According to the Sierra Club, Boulder will become the 17th US city to announce commitments to 100 per cent renewable energy. Other cities that have already begun efforts to achieve this goal include San Francisco and San Diego, California; Georgetown, Texas; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and more.

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“From sea to shining sea, our cities are once again inspiring the world by paving a path toward an economy powered by 100 per cent clean energy,” said executive director of the Sierra Club, Michael Brune.

The Environmental Protection Agency, in coordination with the Obama administration, announced the Clean Power Plan in August 2015. The plan aimed at reducing emissions by 26 per cent – below the 2005 level – and made $1bn available to companies using innovative technologies for clean energy.

However, the Supreme Court issued a stay of implementation for the policy as several states and groups in the energy industry opposed the regulation.

“The Court’s decision was not on the merits of the rule,” the EPA said in response to the 9 February ruling. “EPA firmly believes the Clean Power Plan will be upheld when the merits are considered because the rule rests on strong scientific and legal foundations."