St. Petersburg will become the first city in Florida to rid themselves of using fossil fuels.
The city council unanimously voted to use $800,000 of $1 million they received from a settlement with BP over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 to move toward having the city completely running with renewable energy.
The Integrated Sustainability Action Plan (ISAP) will incorporate a resiliency plan and strategies to become 100 percent dependent on renewable energy. There is still no date set on when this plan will begin, but organizers said the next stage is a timeline.
From the $800,000, $300,000 will go toward a county partnership to evaluate how climate change could impact the area’s most vulnerable residents. Suncoast Sierra Club is the grassroots environmental group working with St. Petersburg on this project.
St. Petersburg is the 20th city in the country to make this commitment.
Even though Rick Scott is not a scientist and denies climate change affecting Florida, at least St. Petersburg is trying to find solutions for its vulnerable residents.
Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune issued the following statement: “The movement for clean energy in cities and towns across the country is now more important than ever. Saint Petersburg joins 19 other cities from San Diego, California to Greensburg, Kansas that will lead the way to support equitable and inclusive communities built on 100% clean, renewable energy for all. Whether you’re from a red state or blue state, clean energy works for everyone and local leaders will continue to move forward to create more jobs, stronger communities, and cleaner air and water.”
Mayor Rick Kriesman will hold a press conference on Dec. 9 at 2:30 p.m. on the steps of City Hall to further discuss ISAP.