Op-Ed: Cities Leading the Charge to 100 Percent Clean Energy

"Over the past few years," four mayors write, "100 cities and towns across the country — such as those we represent: Columbia, South Carolina; Salt Lake City, Utah; and San Diego and San Francisco, California — have committed to power our cities on 100 percent clean, renewable energy like solar and wind."

The mayors, Columbia's Steve Benjamin, Salt Lake City's Jackie Biskupski, San Francisco's London Breed, and San Diego's Kevin Faulconer, co-chair the Sierra Club's Mayors For 100% Clean Energy campaign.

Emphasizing that roughly one in seven Americans live in places making the transition to 100 percent renewable energy, they cite the position's political advantages, on top of environmental and economic ones. They write, "Recent polls show that public support for 100 percent renewable energy is at an all-time high, and power providers are taking note. According to a survey conducted on behalf of Edison Electric Institute, a utility industry think-tank, over 80 percent of the population believes 100 percent clean energy is the right thing to do."