Portland, Oregon has drawn a line in the sand, banning all new oil, coal or natural gas export infrastructure in the city.
The move is a US-first.
Portland City council voted unanimously to ban new projects dedicated to transporting or storing fossil fuels intended for overseas markets.
City commissioner Amanda Fritz said: “We need to take more action to address climate disruption.
“We need to push for phasing out fossil fuels sooner rather than later. All responsible politicians and decision makers need to be taking similar steps.”
The vote comes a week after President Obama stopped the Keystone development in its tracks.
City commissioners will now consider measures aimed at retraining industry workers to adapt to skilled jobs in renewable energy and home energy retrofitting.
Adriana Voss-Andreae, director of the Portland climate action group 350PDX, said: “We’re not just leaving people behind.
“The city’s going to do what it can to transition in just way, by retraining workers to, maybe, move from the old fossil fuel industry to the new, clean energy economy.”
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