Morgantown Committee to move Paris‑aligned greenhouse gas reaffirmation to agenda after discussion

Morgantown’s Committee of the Whole discussed a proposed resolution reaffirming the city’s commitment to policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and voted by consensus to move the resolution to the agenda.

Jim Coatsen, chair of the Green Team, summarized the history behind the city’s earlier commitments and the group’s climate action planning work. He described the Paris goals and stated the Green Team’s view that local action—switching municipal lighting, pursuing energy efficiency, and using solar on low‑income housing—remains important even as federal and state policy change.

Coatsen said the Green Team submitted a climate action plan in 2019 and a revised plan in 2022. He told council, “I do believe that this resolution would be an act of courage and it'd be a return to sanity.” He also noted recent state proposals favoring increased fossil fuel electricity generation and warned of potential stranded cost risks for ratepayers.

Speakers noted city accomplishments: councilors and staff highlighted LED street‑lamp replacement as a primary contributor to emissions reductions and pointed to prior planning work that merges climate goals into the city’s 10‑year plan. One councilor asked for available estimates of emissions reductions; Coatsen replied that replacing mercury vapor lamps with LEDs could get the city close to a 28% reduction compared with a 2005 baseline, while reaching deeper reductions (for example, a 52% target) would require additional investment.

Council consensus and next steps: Council agreed to move the resolution to a formal agenda for a future meeting so it can be considered formally. Several council members expressed continued support for Green Team work and asked staff to continue partnering on projects including solar for low‑income housing and municipal energy efficiency measures.

No final ordinance text or binding municipal policy was adopted at the Committee of the Whole; the body only authorized placement of the resolution on a formal agenda for subsequent readings and potential adoption.