Clean Energy Asheville: A Report from Mayor Manheimer

“Free and open to the public
Panelists include: Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, Councilwoman Julie Mayfield and General Manager of Duke Energy Western Region, Robert Sipes.

This program in sponsored by Carolina Jews for Justice/West. The purpose of the meeting is to update the community on the collaborative partnership between the City of Asheville, Buncombe County and Duke Energy on building a 21st Century electric energy infrastructure in our community.

As part of the WNC Modernization Plan, Duke Energy has committed to work with our community in reducing electricity demand by 25 Megawatts/year in order to prevent the construction of a 192 MegaWatt natural gas peaking turbine.

The City of Asheville has been engaged in reducing its carbon footprint since Mayor Bellamy signed the Mayor’s Climate Agreement in 2007. In the past three years, the City has passed a Clean Energy Economy Resolution and developed a Community Clean Energy Policy Framework. Now we have Duke Energy’s commitment to put resources into our community to help us reduce energy use and to begin to build community energy infrastructure. This is an opportunity that we cannot afford to ignore. Citizen participation is needed, so please attend.

I want to encourage everyone to attend this important gathering, says Rabbi Justin Goldstein of Congregation Beth Israel. While we may not have much control over how the industrial nations of the world react to climate change, we do have a big say in how our local government responds. We are blessed to live in a community, which has taken a strong voice of leadership on curtailing our city’s carbon output, and we are blessed to have a mayor and city council willing to engage Duke Energy, the largest utility in the country, in assuring a more sustainable future for our city and our region. The Jewish tradition compels us to be stewards of Creation and to ensure that our planet is sustained for future generations. That Mayor Manheimer is willing to share her time to discuss the city’s goals of establishing sustainable practices and its relationship with Duke Energy is an opportunity we should not miss, he added.

For more information about Carolina Jews for Justice events and projects go to www.carolinajewsforjustice.org and sign up to get regular e-blasts.”