Salt Lake City— Salt Lake City’s new Electrified Transportation Resolution, a joint resolution between Mayor Erin Mendenhall and the City Council, establishes a joint commitment to incorporate and promote clean energy transportation technology as an important solution in reducing carbon emissions and pollutants that impact air quality. 

The resolution includes goals of electrifying modes of transportation that have historically relied on gasoline, diesel or natural gas. Through the resolution, the City commits to expanding electric vehicles for its internal fleet and to working with external partners to electrify public transit and smart mobility platforms such as rideshare and car share. Through expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure, the City aims to encourage greater adoption of electric vehicle technology by the public and non-government fleets.

“As our city continues its push toward better air quality and environmental resilience, distilling our goals for electric transportation and committing to shifting our fleet is the right move,” Mayor Mendenhall said. 

“This is another solid step toward the City’s ongoing commitment to use cleaner energy and reduce pollution,” said City Council Chair Amy Fowler. “Both government and private industry must continue to take every action possible to enable clean fuel usage.”

In 2018, the City created an Electrified Transportation Roadmap that set best practices for local governments in Utah regarding electrified transportation. Both the resolution and the roadmap will help the City achieve milestones identified in its ambitious Climate Positive 2040 plan, which sets two interrelated goals of reaching 100 percent renewable community electricity by 2030 and reducing community greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

On-road transportation contributes nearly 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Salt Lake City, according to the Utah Department of Air Quality. Additionally, electrifying cars, trucks, and buses presents a substantial path toward reducing air pollution, as the transportation sector contributes to an estimated 48 percent of the fine particulate matter during an inversion. 

The resolution was adopted December 8, and recorded January 5. The goals adopted through this resolution will be included in the Mayor’s Sustainability Plan.