A resolution to transition to 100 percent renewable energy sources by the year 2050 has been unanimously adopted by the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

The resolution was introduced to the board earlier this month by Sustainability Program Coordinator Brennan Bouma, who stated that a reliance on clean, renewable energy would not only help the environment, but also the economy.

“The costs for solar energy are falling dramatically and in some places across the country are cheaper than coal energy and other forms of fossil fuel generation,” said Bouma. “That’s happening at a dramatically accelerated pace, so when we’re looking out to 2050 there will be market forces that help with this transition to a renewable energy-based economy.”

Policy Analyst for the Environmental Protection Agency and Carrboro citizen Kathy Kaufman believes that while this resolution is a great start, the work is still ahead of us when it comes to the transition to renewable energy.

“I want to support this whole heartedly, but I also want to stress that adopting a resolution is really a first step,” said Kaufman. “I would urge you not only to adopt the resolution but to continue to find ways to very specifically implement it.”

According to the North Carolina Climate Solutions Coalition, 10 other local governments have adopted similar resolutions across the state.

The resolution in its entirety can be found on the Orange County website.

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