Very Exciting News: The three Renewable Energy/Zero Carbon ordinances (see details below) that we have been working so hard for passed on third reading at Tuesday’s Nashville Metro Council (June 4) meeting with zero “no” votes!!! 
That means that they are now law!!
This is really a big deal. The fight against climate change is going to require action at all levels of society (individual choices, corporate choices, institutional choices, and government policies).
The Nashville Metro Council, with the incredible leadership of Council Member Freddie O’Connell (including having lots of conversations with the Mayor’s Office, Metro General Services, and his fellow Council members) and with a groundswell of grassroots support (that’s you, including having around 80 of our people present for the crucial second reading vote), demonstrated that it is willing to do its part in that fight.
These historic ordinances move Metro operations to very close to zero carbon emissions over the next couple of decades with clear benchmarks for getting there along the way.
Two of the ordinances passed by voice vote and the third one (the 100% Renewable Energy Portfolio ordinance BL 2019-1600) passed on a recorded vote with 28 yes votes and 1 abstention. The one abstention was from Jeremy Elrod, who abstained because of his position as Director of Government Affairs for the Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association.
Here are the three ordinances that are now law:
*BL 2019-1598 will require that all motor vehicles owned by the metropolitan government be zero-emission vehicles by the year 2050. By 2030 50% of the vehicles will be low or zero emissions.
*BL 2019-1599 will retrofit a number of Metro owned buildings and lower their energy usage.
*BL 2019-1600 establishes a renewable energy standard for the Metro government; and commits energy usage by Metro to be 100% carbon-free by 2040. By 2030 it would commit Metro energy usage to be 80% carbon-free.
