US Energy Secretary hails cities for leading in efficiency

Dr Ernest Moniz, the US Secretary of Energy, has saluted cities for being “in the lead” in encouraging clean energy consumption.

Speaking to Cities Today at the United States Conference of Mayors’ 83^rd Winter Meeting in Washington DC, Dr Moniz stressed the Obama administration was committed to clean energy development and said cities were at the forefront of the renewable energy movement.

“Cities have been fantastic. I was in Dallas last June [at the USCM meeting] when 100 Mayors came together in terms of climate initiatives,” said Dr Moniz. “Cities are in many ways in the lead. Mayors are taking a very strong position on clean energy. They are also doing it because they are responsible on the ground with resilience. Coastal cities especially can’t wait for ethereal arguments. They’re just taking action.”

He was part of a USCM panel on energy alongside Jon Mitchell, Mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Chris Watts, Mayor of Denton, Texas, Shane Bemis, Mayor of Gresham, Oregon, and Stacy Gillen, Vice President for Professional End User Sales, at Philips Lighting, a pioneer in urban LED lighting solutions.

Dr Moniz said 2015 was a make-or-break year in view of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris next December: “This is a critical year. The meeting in Paris is viewed as the critical opportunity for international engagement in addressing climate [concerns].”

The US Energy Secretary highlighted the agreement last autumn between US and China to cut greenhouse gas emissions and co-operate on implementing clean energy initiatives. “That commitment has changed the international dialogue in a very substantial way,” he said. “The argument that China isn’t doing anything no longer works. I can’t say how it will turn out but we’ll be working very hard this year to go to Paris with the intent to come away with a real uplifted international commitment.”

Dr Moniz stressed the virtues of collaboration between federal and regional government.  “Cities are critical and this year the opportunity to work more together in this direction would be much appreciated,” he said.

Jon Mitchell, who has transformed New Bedford into one of America’s leading cities in offshore wind energy and solar energy initiatives, declared US localities would soon catch up with their European counterparts in adopting renewable energy resources.

“It’s just a matter of time before we’ll be talking about offshore wind as another set of renewables that are  available to cities both for economic development and energy generating purposes,” he said. “As the industry grows and as people see that it’s competitive with more traditional sources of electricity, the industry will track more investment and more people will be willing to embrace it. It’s all new to the United States.  There isn’t a single offshore windmill in the US at this point. It’s on its way–it’s really just a matter of time.”