On November 27, mayors from every U.S. state including 43 mayors from Pennsylvania embraced a vision for more solar energy in their communities, as outlined in a national letter released by the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center.

The group of over 200 “Mayors for Solar Energy” represents cities and towns in states from Florida to Alaska, California to Maine, including 43 in Pennsylvania. More Pennsylvania mayors signed on than any other state in the country.

The Pennsylvania mayors include: Jeanne Sorg, Mayor, Ambler; Emily Marburger, Mayor, Bellevue; John Fetterman, Mayor, Braddock; Mark Barbee, Mayor, Bridgeport; Timothy Scott, Mayor, Carlisle; Josh Maxwell, Mayor, Downingtown; Ron Strouse, Mayor, Doylestown; Nickole Nesby, Mayor, Duquesne; Salvatore Panto, Jr., Mayor, Easton; Joe Schember, Mayor, Erie; Theodore Streeter, Mayor, Gettysburg; Arlene Wanatosky, Mayor, Homer City Borough Debbie Mahon, Mayor, Hulmeville; David Wessels, Mayor, Huntingdon; Paul Roberts, Mayor, Kingston; Danene Sorace, Mayor, Lancaster; Garry Herbert, Mayor, Lansdale; David Burton, Mayor, Malvern; Patricia Witt, Mayor, Manchester; Mike Detweiler, Mayor, Mansfield; Sean Strub, Mayor, Milford; Thomas S. Kramer, Mayor, Millbourne; Antoinette L. Johnson, Mayor, Modena; Matthew Shorraw, Mayor, Monessen; Bruce Blunt, Mayor, Morton; Frederick T. Courtright, Former Mayor, Mount Pocono; Lance E. Colondo, Mayor, Nazareth; Sonya Sanders, Council President, Norristown; Jim Kenney, Mayor, Philadelphia; Peter Urscheler, Mayor, Phoenixville; William Peduto, Mayor, Pittsburgh; Stephanie A. Henrick, Mayor, Pottstown; Kevin Cunningham, Mayor, Rutledge; Matthew Rudzki, Mayor, Sharpsburg; Donald Hahn, Mayor, State College; Tarah Probst, Mayor, Stroudsburg; Tim Kearney, Mayor, Swarthmore; Dianne Herrin, Mayor, West Chester; Dan DePaul, Mayor, West Easton; Tom Blaskiewicz, Mayor, West Pittston; Shawn Mauck, Mayor, West York Borough; Marita Garrett, Mayor, Wilkinsburg; and Donald Barrett, Mayor, Wilson Borough, Easton.

“While our federal government is promoting 19th-century energy policies, we have to rely on local officials to lead the United States’ transition to modern clean energy usage,” says Kelly Flanigan, Global Warming Solutions Associate for PennEnvironment. “Mayors across Pennsylvania and the country are rising to the challenge -- thinking bigger, acting smarter, and tapping the sun for more power.”

The list of mayors who signed the letter spans the political spectrum as well as a broad range of city sizes and budgets.

"Solar power is a key component of advancing Pittsburgh's clean energy transition. We have numerous assets that can provide as the launching point for solar generation in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania, from parking lots to rooftops. Increasing the amount of locally generated solar power helps reduce carbon pollution, clean our air and provide a resilient, sustainable and cost-effective electricity," said Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto.

With millions of available rooftops, rising public demand for renewable energy, and much-improved storage technology, America’s cities are resolving local air pollution and power generation issues by switching to solar power.

The number of signatories on the Mayors for Solar Energy letter has more than tripled from 70 on the initial letter in December of 2017, and the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center says that this number will continue to grow.

The Mayors for Solar Energy project goes beyond the letter itself; the organization is also producing resources and hosting trainings to help cities adopt more renewable energy.

“Mayors know the needs of their townspeople better than anyone,” said Flanigan. “They know the existing infrastructure and how to adapt it to best allow solar and other forms of clean, renewable energy to displace the fossil fuels that pollute our communities and make our families sick. These are neighbors helping neighbors to a brighter future."

Click Here for a copy of the letter.

For more information, visit the PennEnvironment website.

(Photo: Solar installation at Elizabethtown College.)

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