"The electricity that powers the City of Boise’s own facilities and operations will be 100% renewable by the year 2030."
– Mayor David Bieter, State of the City 2018 announcement
With this announcement, the City of Boise takes the lead for Idaho’s clean energy future. By setting a clear goal for 2030, Boise has set a distinct marker for other communities and agencies to rally around. More important though is the city’s reason for setting this goal – to ensure economic prosperity and reliable energy by prioritizing energy conservation and local, renewable power resources.
Energy conservation means the city will need fewer of our tax dollars to run the city, an excellent use of public finds. Telling our local utility that the city wants to purchase local, clean energy options to meet our needs ensures that utility investments remain in our community and protect our air quality. This is an important change from the current situation where Idaho imports about half of our electricity from out-of-state fossil fuels. Ensuring that city power bills fund local providers is also an excellent use of public funds.
Combined, conservation and renewables replace fossil fuels – so along with being excellent stewards of our energy dollars, the city is investing in protecting the air we breathe and the stable climate we all rely upon.
ICL congratulates our colleagues at the Idaho Chapter of the Sierra Club who have championed this campaign from the beginning. And we applaud Mayor Bieter, the City Council, and Public Works Director Steve Burgos for their leadership and commitment to ensuring Boise remains an excellent place to live.