NC governor sets goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) on Monday signed an executive order committing the state to cut emissions by 40 percent by 2025, a goal that puts North Carolina in line with targets set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.

In a press release from the governor’s office, Cooper noted that the onslaught of “historic storms” hitting the state prompted government response. 

{mosads}“With historic storms lashing our state, we must combat climate change, make our state more resilient and lessen the impact of future natural disasters,” Cooper said Monday at a solar farm in Cary, N.C.

The state was hit with massive flooding and far-reaching power outages in recent months, following Hurricanes Florence and Matthew.

The order also directs state agencies to take steps to support green energy and renewable fuel.

The order calls for North Carolina’s Transportation Department to accelerate a plan to expand use of zero-emission vehicles in the state to at least 80,000. It also urges North Carolina’s Commerce Department to “support the expansion of clean energy businesses and service providers, clean technology investment, and companies with a commitment to procuring renewable energy.”

“It is important for the states to take action,” Cooper added at the signing ceremony, according to the Charlotte Observer. “We’re going to intentionally work toward the goal.”

The initiative does not require backing from the state’s deep-red legislature.

Other states, including California and Colorado, have taken steps to cut down emissions in line with the Paris agreement, despite the Trump administration’s announcement last year that the U.S. would exit the landmark climate accord.