RESOLUTION OF THE MANASSAS & MANASSAS PARK CITIES DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE IN SUPPORT OF INCREASED ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND A RAPID TRANSITION TO A RENEWABLE ENERGY ECONOMY

WHEREAS, as global citizens, we all have a moral, economic, public health, and security imperative to act expeditiously and decisively to protect our fellow human beings, future generations, and our planetary ecosystems from the looming climate crisis caused by fossil fuel combustion;

WHEREAS, we must act, and act together at every level, as individuals, businesses, organizations, towns, cities, counties, states, nations, and a global community;

WHEREAS, climate action taken by localities in the United States and around the world can produce 40% of the pollution reduction needed globally to limit warming to only 1.5 degrees Celsius;

WHEREAS, climate action by localities can also address economic inequality; access and mobility via walking, bicycling, and public transit; infrastructure maintenance and investments; and other major community challenges;

WHEREAS, investments in clean energy and energy efficiency are shown to save localities money in the long-term, proving that a transition to an economy based on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy resiliency is also good stewardship of taxpayer dollars;

WHEREAS, one of the core values of the Manassas & Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee is promoting environmental protections and sustainability and energy independence;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Manassas & Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee urges the Manassas & Manassas Park City Councils to work with the Manassas & Manassas Park delegation to the Virginia General Assembly to craft and help enact laws and regulations to encourage energy users to consume less dirty energy and to encourage energy producers to convert to fully renewable resources by 2035;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Manassas & Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee urges the Manassas & Manassas Park City Councils to review current zoning and land use policies and plans to minimize environmental impacts and to promote walking, bicycling, and public transit to reduce personal vehicle use;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Manassas & Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee urges the Manassas & Manassas Park City Councils to develop a plan to increase energy efficiency, reduce dirty energy consumption, and begin converting publicly-owned facilities and transportation fleets to run on hybrid and renewable energy sources; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Manassas & Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee urges the Manassas & Manassas Park City Councils to incentivize individuals, businesses, and organizations to increase energy efficiency, reduce dirty energy consumption, and maximize their renewable energy potential and net zero capacity;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Manassas & Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee urges the Manassas & Manassas Park City Councils to encourage the General Assembly, in future legislative sessions, to pass legislation that allows localities to further develop renewable energy infrastructure and clean energy production and that requires state-regulated utilities to avoid future investments in dirty-energy infrastructure

Adopted unanimously by the Manassas and Manassas Park Cities Democratic Committee on March 20, 2019