Bill No. 16-57 In Support of Clean Energy Transition

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Resolution No. A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA IN SUPPORT OF A REASONABLE TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY FOR SOUTH BEND Whereas, a transition to clean energy has begun in the City of South Bend and nearby communities, with solar panels installed at the South Bend Century Center, South Bend Mutual Homes and Near Northwest Neighborhood; l and Whereas, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame, announced on September 21, 2015, that the University will cease burning coal entirely within five years, and cut its carbon footprint by more than half by 2030;2 and Whereas, at least six faith communities in South Bend have installed or are planning to install solar panels to reduce their energy costs and better care for the Earth, including the First United Methodist Church, Islamic Society of Michiana, Kern Road Mennonite Church, Olivet AME Church, St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church and First Unitarian Church;3 and Whereas, the South Bend Century Center expects to save $1.5 million over 15 years by installing solar panels, LED lighting and energy efficient heating and cooling systems;4 and Whereas, Real Services provided winter heating assistance to 9,432 struggling families in its Northern Indiana service area in 2015, and summer cooling assistance to 9,202 families that same year;5 and Whereas, investments in solar power and energy efficiency in South Bend could benefit our local economy while reducing energy use and making it easier for residents to afford their electric bills; 6,7 and Whereas, with more than 146 watts installed per person, Indianapolis ranks second in the nation for solar power capacity per capita, second only to Honolulu, Hawaii, and ahead of all other U.S. cities such as San Jose, San Diego and Albuquerque;8 and Whereas, Northern Indiana Public Service Co. offers a program to purchase renewable energy from customers through a program that is creating 35 megawatts of solar, wind and other local energy in Northwest Indiana;9 and Whereas, Indiana Michigan Power (I &M) has begun installing small solar projects totaling 15 megawatts10 yet still generates approximately 40 percent of South Bend's electricity from the 2,600- megawatt AEP- Rockport 1 http:// www .iaced.org /wp- content/uploads/ 2015 /07/ South - Bend - SUN - Solar- Awards.i)df 2 http: / /news.nd.edu/ news /61083 - notre- dame - goal -no -coal/ 3 http:/ /www.southbendtribune.com / news /local/ south - bend - congregations- turn - skyward -to- conserve - energy /article 732c968d -b43f- 59ae- babd- ac8e079ebbaa. html 4 https:Hdowntownsouthbend com /century- center - surges- ahead - multi - million - dollar - energy- savings - project 5 https: / /www.realservices.org/ wp /wp- content/uploads/ 2016 /04 /2015 - Northem- indiana.pdf (page 11) 6 http: / /energy.gov/ sites / prod /files /2016 /05 /f31 /Factsheet -EE Savings and Benefits.pdf http : / /www.thesolarfoundation.org /national/ - 3 http: / /wishtv.com/ 2015 /05 /27 /f`orbes- indy -is- 2nd - best -city- for - solar - power/ 9 https: / /www.nip co.com/ our - services /renewable - energy- projects /feed -in- tariff - program 10 https: / /www.indianamichiganpower.com/ info / news /viewRelease.aspx ?releaselD =1695