Account of Board of Commissioners Meeting

On Monday, February 25th, supporters of the “Ready for 100” initiative persuaded the Radnor Township Board of Commissioners that Radnor is Ready for 100% renewable energy. The “Ready for 100” campaign has a goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2035. The resolution passed with a vote of six to one in favor.

Perspectives from the RTSD Board of Commissioners

Lisa Borowski- During the meeting, Borowski declared her support for Ready for 100, and she acknowledged the negative effects of greenhouse gases. She further explained that she is strongly in favor of working to reduce these emissions in Radnor Township. Finally, she stated that she looks forward to the implementation of the resolution.

Lucas Clarke- Clarke, too, expressed that he was in favor of “Ready for 100” and its goals. His remark, “spending slightly more money now is worth a better future for our children,” demonstrated his views clearly. He also stated: “number one: development, number two: climate change; that is what my neighbors in North Wayne have said to be the reasons for flooding in the area.” In doing so, he highlighted the importance of “Ready for 100,” specifically in Radnor Township.

John Nagle- Nagle believes that “Ready for 100” should also include nuclear energy, as he previously pursued a career in that field; he is a Retired Utilities Professional. He later explained that he would not care to make an amendment to change the resolution since he does still support the goals embedded in it.

Richard Booker- Initially, Booker proposed an amendment in an effort to strike the first and second clauses of the “Ready for 100” resolution. Lisa Borowski then asked if anyone seconded him, but no one did. His motion failed. He went on to explain that “these issues are subjective. This is a mantra. We want low costs for constituents.” He repeatedly stated “this is a mantra,” implying that the “Ready for 100” goal represents merely a belief, rather than a necessity. He claimed that the belief that “climate change will destroy the planet” is similar to a spiritual belief. He reinforced his views by declaring this the “latest socialist attempt at a government shakedown by the environmental religion.” He tried to distort the details of the resolution by joking that “every ‘weed wacker’ powered by fossil fuels will have to be battery powered,” even though “Ready for 100” has been proven to be flexible, and his statement was not entirely relevant to the township’s resolution. The “Ready for 100” resolution only speaks of changes in Radnor, and Booker’s speech pertained more towards the whole world. Booker further argued that airplane travel could be impacted by this trend of renewable energy adoption. He stated that “airplanes rely on fossil fuels. People are proposing that we phase out aircrafts by the year 2050.” He continued by asking rhetorically, “why would we spend hundreds of millions of dollars on this resolution when we know it will make no change in the overall global temperature?”

Jack Larkon- Larkon added, “in brief rebuttal to Mr. Booker, the local effects of global climate change are being paid for by residents already.” Larkon went on to describe how a portion of taxpayer money is put towards these projects, so money should not be a problem. His views were confirmed when he voted in favor of “Ready for 100.”

A “Ready for 100” supporter in the audience shared her views; she said that one of her daughters lives in West-Chester, and her other daughter lives in Philadelphia. She mentioned, too, that she is concerned about the inconveniences of the fossil fuel powered bomb trains and oil pipelines that travel through those areas, including some right next to CHOP. She claimed that “they are an accident waiting to happen” and that “the only way that we can truly improve this is to take it one step at a time.”

Support from Radnor Conservancy

After learning about the “Ready for 100” initiative, Radnor Conservancy Executive Director, Gretchen Groebel, demonstrated her loyalty to this goal. In a statement, she wrote, “the Radnor Conservancy strongly believes that Radnor Township should lead by example and commit to 100% clean and renewable energy for all. We support the Sierra Club’s initiative, ‘Ready for 100,’ which is being launched by members of our local Radnor community to advance a vision for our community to make a full transition of the electricity sector to clean, renewable energy by 2035 and 100% clean, renewable energy in all energy sectors by 2050.” She then added, “We believe the ‘Ready for 100’ campaign is a critical program to stimulate the transition to a sustainable, clean energy-based economy in our region.” Finally, she concluded by announcing that “we [the Radnor Conservancy] highly encourage the Radnor Township Board of Commissioners to consider the adoption of the ‘Ready for 100’ goals and look forward to collectively encouraging our community to embrace the commitment guidelines.”

Outcomes of the Meeting

Following the success of the “Ready for 100” initiative, Radnor is ready to make a change! Over the next 15-30 years, Radnor will be limiting plastic bag/straw use and eliminating energy sources that require fossil fuels. Substitutes such as solar panels and batteries will slowly be taking place of the gasoline and oil that is currently in use. Such an ambitious goal will take great time and effort, but Radnor is committed to reducing their carbon footprint and bringing forth positive change!