ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

SUPPORTING RENEWABLE ENERGY

WHEREAS, many municipalities and local communities have adopted an integrated waste management approach that includes renewable energy sources such as waste-to-energy facilities and electricity produced from landfill gas; and

WHEREAS, each community must ensure the delivery of essential services such as electricity while providing a clean environment; and

WHEREAS, renewable energy sources can provide a number of benefits to the public, including utilization of indigenous natural resources; reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, while increasing fuel diversity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and

WHEREAS, the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) defines renewable energy as "electricity generated from biomass, waste, renewable resources to include wind and solar, geothermal resources, or any combination thereof;" and the Federal Power Act Amendments of 1978 includes biomass in its definition of renewable energy; and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Regulations define biomass energy as "Any primary source which, on the basis of its energy content, is 50 percent or more biomass..."; and, the Department of Energy defines biomass as including municipal solid waste, noting that about 80 percent of the dry weight of municipal solid waste is organic (biomass-derived) materials,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors supports federal legislation that promotes renewable energy, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass in its various forms including electricity generated from landfill gas, waste-to-energy, and agricultural and wood waste; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges federal and state lawmakers to ensure that any restructuring legislation proposals include provisions to preserve and protect existing capacity of renewable energy resources.