To Mayor Elicker and the Board of Alders:

We, the undersigned, express our concern about climate change and its effects on our local community. Fossil fuels have done so much damage to our environment and health, and we feel it is your duty as a representative of the great City of New Haven to address this emergency. As a coastal city, New Haven is particularly vulnerable to the devastating consequences of climate change and sea-level rise. Research has shown that nearly every system in the human body is affected by gas energy, and the toxic chemicals it produces. (1-9)

In signing this petition, we are demanding that you consider the climate and the people you serve when making decisions about energy sources and city budgets. The replacement of gas power with electric sources will have positive health, environmental and financial impacts in our community, and the existence of several successful local electric projects – such as the Hotel Marcel and The Elm – show that it is possible to go electric here. Electric energy is more efficient, quieter, healthier and safer, and electrification paves the way to a carbon free future as Connecticut electricity gets more carbon free. To truly decarbonize, we must power everything using clean energy. The lives of New Haven residents depend on it.

Signed,
Concerned Citizens of New Haven
Brought to you by the Electric Future Campaign of New Haven Climate Movement