The town of Jackson, with the passing of its 2008 fiscal year budget, has announced that all of the town's operations will be powered entirely by renewable energy.

"This is a remarkable partnership with Lower Valley Energy," Jackson mayor Mark Barron said in a statement.

Annually, the town uses about 8.5 million kilowatt hours of energy to run its operations, which include Town Hall, Public Works shops, water wells, the wastewater treatment plant and the lights on Jackson Town Square.

The town's energy usage equals about 3,035 tons of carbon dioxide each year. It would take the planting of more than 202,000 trees to offset those carbon emissions.

Barron called the moves "a smart investment and responsible stewardship that works to protect the place that Jackson Hole is to so many."