Pueblo City Council passed a feel-good resolution committing the city to becoming 100 percent powered by renewable energy sources by 2035. As things stand now, it’s an empty promise that the city cannot keep.

The Sierra Club’s David Cockrell successfully lobbied Pueblo to become the 22nd city in the United States to join the Ready for 100 campaign. He was armed with statistics that renewable energy is cheaper than natural gas, assuming, of course, that wind and solar power plants could operate at full design capacity, which they cannot. Fact is the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine 24 hours a day. Wind is even less reliable than sun in most places.

“Green” energy from wind, solar and other renewable sources is not – absolutely not – cheaper than natural gas, coal, oil and other traditional forms of fossil fuels. And the chances of green energy becoming truly cost competitive are dim, especially for the next 18 years until we hit the 2035 target date.

Read more at The Pueblo Chieftain.