Aspen, CO, became the third city in the country to run completely on renewable energy when officials signed a contract with the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, a wholesale electric energy provider, according to The Aspen Times.
Until that signing, the city had run on 75 percent to 80 percent renewable. Aspen gets wind from four wind farms in Nebraska and South Dakota. It also uses energy from Ruedi Reservoir, Maroon Creek and Ridgway Reservoir in Colorado. Aspen also gets power from solar and landfill gas sources.
Burlington, VT and Greensburg, KS are the two other cities that run on entirely renewable energy.
Not all the municipal news is good, however. Menlo Park, CA, is not on track to meet statewide greenhouse gas goals set for 2020, according to The San Jose Mercury News. In fact, it seems to be going in the wrong direction. Emissions increased in 2013 – the last year for which numbers are available – compared to 2012. The state is requiring cities to meet 1990 emissions levels during the next five years.
The Menlo Park Environmental Quality Commission will meet on Sept. 29 to discuss a recent climate report from the city.