(YOUR CITY), INDIANA RESOLUTION TO MOVE TO 100% CLEAN, RENEWABLE ENERGY AND OPPOSE NEW FOSSIL FUEL PROJECTS

WHEREAS, Climate change is real, caused by humans, and affirmed by overwhelming scientific evidence.  (U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Oct. 2018, and U.S. 4th National Climate Assessment, Nov. 2018); and

WHEREAS, Climate change has already wrought devastating impacts locally, nationally and around the globe; and

WHEREAS, changes in the climate have profoundly impacted our region, recently in February 2018 with the flooding of large swaths of the midwest including multiple communities in Northwest Indiana due to near record atmospheric moisture for the time of year, resulting in heavy rains falling on large amounts of snow, adding up to an inch of meltwater to the rainwater amounts.  Locally these heavy rains caused flooding in Munster, Dyer, Lake Station, Shelby, Schneider, DeMotte, Hobart, Valparaiso, and Merrillville, resulting in flooded homes, road closures, evacuations, school closures, lost income from business closures; and

WHEREAS, air particulates and toxins in the ground water, drinking water and soil caused by fossil fuel driven industry, emissions, spills, and environmental harm overwhelmingly and disproportionately impact communities of color, such that a person’s zip code dictates their life expectancy; and

WHEREAS, the global banking industry has warned that extreme weather disruptions could cost the US economy a total of $44 trillion by 2060; and

WHEREAS, a city or town has a responsibility to its residents, the country, and the world, to accelerate the transition to 100% clean renewable energy and oppose new fossil fuel infrastructure;

WHEREAS, local, state, and national economies are transitioning to 100% clean, renewable energy, and the following Indiana cities have already adopted or are in the process of adopting a resolution to evaluate and limit carbon emissions and/or transition the local economy to renewable energy:  Bloomington, Carmel, Chesterton, Columbus, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Goshen, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Lawrence, Michigan City, Portage, Richmond, South Bend, Westfield, and West Lafayette; and

WHEREAS, land use policies that support keeping agricultural lands intact and promote local, regenerative agriculture will be instrumental in keeping our food systems safe, reliable, and environmentally sustainable; and

WHEREAS, a just transition to 100% renewable energy is creating and will create millions more high quality, family-sustaining jobs;Therefore, be it further resolved, that (YOUR CITY), Indiana will establish a goal to work toward meeting 100% of community-wide energy needs with renewable energy and energy-efficiency by 2030 and avoid any future investments in energy derived from fossil fuels; and

Be it further resolved, that (YOUR CITY), Indiana commits to expanding green infrastructure strategies to reduce energy demand, and limit the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities; and

Be it further resolved, that any new infrastructure projects in (YOUR CITY), Indiana must consider the impacts on the climate, and climate concerns be given equal or greater weight than budgetary concerns, which in the longer term, due to the externalized costs of climate-related catastrophes will be economically feasible and advantageous; andBe it further resolved, that projects and procurements under this goal will use proven policies to ensure that the green jobs created are local, high-quality, family-wage jobs that meet our high standards of workforce inclusion for underrepresented groups including women and communities of color; and

Be it further resolved, that the (YOUR CITY), Indiana council will by ______, date, form a climate action committee that will include but is not limited to youth representatives, communities of color, owners of local regenerative farms, low-income residents, labor representatives, environmental advocates, and county representatives with special attention on addressing environmental, social, and economic inequities.  The committee will be comprised of 20 members, 5 of whom will be appointed by the council, and 15 of whom will be community residents who opt in; and

Be it further resolved, that by ____ date, the climate action committee will develop a plan for (YOUR CITY),  Indiana to achieve these goals that will include interim milestones, budget estimates, equity metrics, estimated financial impacts, financing mechanisms, and the percentage of clean energy that shall be generated locally, and;

Be it further resolved, (YOUR CITY), Indiana, that a climate action committee report will be a part of each council meeting, andBe it further resolved, that (YOUR CITY), Indiana, will utilize a participatory and transparent outreach and engagement effort for both planning and implementation of this goal.  This process will promote inclusion of community members as well as representatives from such organizations as labor, faith, social justice, environmental justice, sustainable agriculture, public health and the environment, economic development, utility sector, clean energy sector, academic institutions, business, housing, and employment services; and

Be it further resolved, that in (YOUR CITY), Indiana, due to externalized costs of ignoring the consequences of climate catastrophes, climate concerns will be given equal or greater weight than budgetary concerns; and that,

Be it further resolved, that in (YOUR CITY), Indiana, up to $___ in funds from ___budget shall be available by ___ date for third-party expertise required to develop a plan for (YOUR CITY), Indiana to achieve goals of 100% renewable energy, and that in the absence of such funds, the climate action committee will seek funding through federal or state grant funding sources.

This Resolution to be effective upon passage by the (YOUR CITY), City Council:

WITNESSETH:    _________________________
ATTEST:              __________________________                      
                             Presiding Officer


PRESENTED to the Mayor of (YOUR CITY) on _____, 2020
____________________________


Clerk
APPROVED AND ADOPTED on ______, 2020.

_____________________________
Mayor