EPA, Obama Administration officials promote solar energy initiative in Spartanburg, SC, Summit

Spartanburg, South Carolina, recently hosted a Clean Energy Savings for All Summit, allowing local community members to engage with officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Obama Administration on their efforts to increase access to renewable energy.
 
“Spartanburg is undergoing a transformation from a contaminated, low-income area into a livable and vibrant community,” Mustafa Ali, EPA’s Senior Advisor on Environmental Justice, said. “This type of community-driven revitalization is a model that can be replicated across the country in our overburdened communities. Through today’s Summit, I’m thrilled to see this community lifted up as an example of what can happen when government partners enter a dialogue with communities and help turn their vision into reality.”
 
The summit was presented through the Clean Energy Savings For All Initiative, announced in July, which will see the EPA and the Departments of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Health and Human Services and Veteran’s Affairs collaborate to improve energy efficiency in the country through better access to solar energy. Through the initiative, the Obama Administration has increased and expanded its target for solar energy available to low- and moderate-income families from 100 megawatts by 2020 — initially set out in the Climate Action Plan for federally-assisted affordable housing — to one gigawatt by 2020.