Residents are invited to review and comment through June 27, 2022 on the proposed Clean and Renewable Energy Plan for Athens-Clarke County. The plan, developed by the Athens-Clarke County Sustainability Office in conjunction with the Clean and Renewable Energy Plan Advisory Board, Southface Institute, and Greenlink Analytics, outlines a pathway for a comprehensive and innovative clean and renewable energy transition for the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov) and the larger Athens community.

The full proposed plan and online comment form can be found at accgov.com/green, along with a presentation from the June 14 Mayor and Commission Work Session, an executive summary of the plan, and a summary of action area tiering. Several virtual and in-person public meetings are also scheduled.

On May 21, 2019, the Mayor and Commission unanimously voted to adopt a resolution to commit to several energy related goals as part of the Clean and Renewable Energy Campaign. A series of town hall meetings and an online survey were hosted in the spring of 2021 to begin development of the plan that will guide efforts to achieve those goals, including 100% clean and renewable electricity for all municipal properties and government operations by the year 2035, and meeting community electricity demand with 100% clean and renewable electricity by the year 2050.

The plan states that “clean” sources of energy do not create greenhouse gas emissions, and “renewable” energy sources are those that can be replenished in a human timescale.

Six action areas laid out in the plan include:

Lead by Example
Build Community Through Investment
Be Part of the Larger Solution
Build a Workforce and Improve Opportunities
Closing the Gap
Community Education and Engagement
Equitable Priorities in the plan are as follows:

Include lower-income, Black, People of Color (POC), and senior communities in the development of policies and programs
Decrease the community's energy burden, with an emphasis on historically marginalized communities, using sustainable and renewable technologies
Expand clean energy workforce training and development
Public input on the proposed plan will be accepted through June 27, 2022. The Mayor and Commission is scheduled to vote on the plan at their Regular Voting Session on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.

For more information on the Clean and Renewable Energy Plan, contact Sustainability Officer Mike Wharton at [email protected] or 706-613-3838.