Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader McCarthy, and Minority Leader Schumer,
We are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. We began the year committed to protecting human civilization and beating the ten-year clock counting down to massive, irreparable climate disruption. Three months in, an unimaginable public health emergency of COVID-19 has been accompanied by a profound economic crisis and a national reckoning with racial inequity faced by communities of color. These communities have long suffered disproportionately from air pollution and other toxic exposure and are now getting hit hardest by the health and economic impacts of this pandemic. As mayors and local leaders, we stand on the front lines of this moment – and we are determined to meet it with strength, resilience, resolve, and bold action to protect our planet and build a more just future for all Americans.
So far, Congress has passed important legislation to respond to the pandemic, invest in our small businesses, support working families, and increase our testing capacity. But these bills, while critical, remain incomplete. Our nation and our cities need our representatives in Washington D.C. to move forward with a bold and innovative recovery package that takes direct, strategic steps to lift up our most vulnerable residents and communities.
We need that kind of approach to continue managing the fallout from COVID-19 – much the same way we focus on equity and fairness in our work to tackle the climate crisis.
Climate Mayors – a bipartisan network of over 450 U.S. mayors – is playing a leading role to preserve our environment, create good-paying green jobs, invest in clean air, clean water, and clean energy, and uphold the goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level. This commitment remains steadfast even in these times of turbulence and turmoil, and we will continue to prioritize policies and programs that help build for a better, more sustainable tomorrow.
As elected officials weigh the responses that incentivize a just, equitable, and sustainable economic recovery from this crisis, leaders in Congress should look no further than the recommendations from Climate Mayors attached to this letter. We lay out the core building blocks of a healthy, dynamic, fair economy founded on a level playing field – emphasizing innovation and infrastructure, lower energy costs, greater access to clean energy, and increased investment in public transit. We possess one of the greatest opportunities for economic growth and the reduction of greenhouse gases our generation has ever seen – and we have to seize it.
Cities across America have long demonstrated that economic growth and environmental stewardship go hand in hand – and now, our federal government can show the world that investments in a zero-carbon economy are investments in the future of our workforce, the well-being of generations, and the resilience of our infrastructure and public spaces. This moment demands that we accelerate our efforts to drive ambitious, systemic change.
Times of crisis can lead to confusion, or clarity. We Climate Mayors are expressing to our congressional leadership a shared clarity that we must tackle these crises together based on the following principles:
- Build for a Better Future: Returning to the status quo is not sufficient in meeting the challenges of climate change and inequities in our society. We must increase our resolve and ambition to reinvest in America’s communities.
- Lead with Equity: Federal investments in our municipalities must prioritize those communities who have been left behind, and frontline communities and people of color who have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change and COVID-19.
- Prioritize Multiple Benefits: The best investments will create jobs, strengthen community cohesion and resilience, and improve health outcomes in our cities and towns.
Cities throughout the United States are under tremendous pressure. In the face of the immediate crises – as well as the omnipresent threat of climate change – we encourage Congress to look to our local governments and communities to find meaningful solutions to these shared challenges. If fully funded, effectively implemented, and flexible enough to adapt locally, the policies highlighted in the Annex attached will have a lasting impact on our ability to meet the scope and scale of the challenges before us.
Thank you for your consideration of these recommendations. We look forward to working with you to build a better future behind a clear vision for protecting the environment and making our economy work for everyone.
Respectfully,
Chair & Co-Chairs
Mayor Eric Garcetti
Los Angeles, CA
Mayor Marty Walsh
Boston, MA
Mayor Sylvester Turner
Houston, TX
Steering Committee
Mayor Tim Keller
Albuquerque, NM
Mayor Ethan Berkowitz
Anchorage, AK
Mayor Steve Adler
Austin, TX
Mayor Michael Cahill
Beverly, MA
Mayor James Brainard
Carmel, IN
Mayor Eric Johnson
Dallas, TX
Mayor Michael Hancock
Denver, CO
Mayor Frank Cownie
Des Moines, IA
Mayor Mike Duggan
Detroit, MI
Mayor James Hovland
Edina, MN
Mayor Lucy Vins
Eugene, OR
Mayor Lioneld Jordan
Fayetteville, AR
Mayor Kirk Caldwell
Honolulu, HI
Mayor Greg Fischer
Louisville, KY
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway
Madison, WI
Mayor LaToya Cantrell
New Orleans, LA
Mayor Bill de Blasio
New York City, NY
Mayor Buddy Dyer
Orlando, FL
Mayor Kate Gallego
Phoenix, AZ
Mayor Bill Peduto
Pittsburgh, PA
Mayor Melvin Carter
Saint Paul, MN
Mayor Ron Nirenberg
San Antonio, TX
Mayor Jane Castor
Tampa, FL
Membership
Mayor Kathy Sheehan
Albany, NY
Mayor Justin Wilson
Alexandria, VA
Mayor Jeanne Sorg
Ambler, PA
Mayor Gary Goosman
Amesville, OH
Mayor Terence Roberts
Anderson, SC
Mayor Christopher Taylor
Ann Arbor, MI
Michael Winkler
Arcata, CA
Mayor Nancy Kaboolian
Ardsley, NY
Mayor Esther Manheimer
Asheville, NC
Mayor Torre
Aspen, CO
Mayor Keisha Bottoms
Atlanta, GA
Mayor Bernard Young
Baltimore, MD
Mayor Lee Kyriacou
Beacon, NY
Mayor Denny Doyle
Beaverton, OR
Mayor Jesse Arreguín
Berkeley, CA
Mayor Lauren McLean
Boise, ID
Mayor Sam Weaver
Boulder, CO
Mayor Steven B. Grant
Boynton Beach, FL
Mayor Chris Mehl
Bozeman, MT
Mayor Eric Mamula
Breckenridge, CO
Mayor Terry O’Connell
Brisbane, CA
Mayor Emily Beach
Burlingame, CA
Mayor Miro Weinberger
Burlington, VT
Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui
Cambridge, MA
Mayor Bob Hoog
Cape Canaveral, FL
Mayor Albert Robles
Carson, CA
Mayor Pam Hemminger
Chapel Hill, NC
Mayor John Tecklenburg
Charleston, SC
Mayor Vi Lyles
Charlotte, NC
Mayor Lori Lightfoot
Chicago, IL
Mayor John Cranley
Cincinnati, OH
Mayor Larry Schroeder
Claremont, CA
Mayor Charlene Lovett
Claremont, NH
Mayor Louis Sarbone
Coconut Creek, FL
Mayor Patrick L. Wojahn
College Park, MD
Mayor Brian Treece
Columbia, MO
Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin
Columbia, SC
Mayor Andrew Ginther
Columbus, OH
Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh
Cooperstown, NY
Mayor Brian Tobin
Cortland, NY
Mayor Biff Traber
Corvallis, OR
Mayor Mary Salas
Chula Vista, CA
Mayor Tim Meerbott
Cutler Bay, FL
Mayor Nan Whaley
Dayton, OH
Mayor Vincent Rosillo
Dobbs Ferry, NY
Mayor David G. Haubert
Dublin, CA
Mayor Roy D. Buol
Dubuque, IA
Mayor Emily Larson
Duluth, MN
Mayor Julie Ward Bujalski
Dunedin, FL
Mayor Nicole Nesby
Duquesne, PA
Mayor Ron Case
Eden Prairie, MN
Mayor Christian Patz
Emeryville, CA
Mayor Joe Schember
Erie, PA
Mayor Steve Hagerty
Evanston, IL
Mayor Colleen Mahr
Fanwood, NJ
Mayor Melanie Piana
Ferndale, MI
Mayor Coral Evans
Flagstaff, AZ
Mayor Yvonne M. Spicer
Framingham, MA
Mayor Lily Mei
Fremont, CA
Mayor Wade Troxell
Fort Collins, CO
Mayor Tom Henry
Fort Wayne, IN
Mayor Leeman Kessler
Gambier, OH
Mayor Jerome Prince
Gary, IN
Mayor Paula Perotte
Goleta, CA
Mayor Rosalynn Bliss
Grand Rapids, MI
Mayor Karylinn Echols
Gresham, OR
Mayor Eric Genrich
Green Bay, WI
Mayor Joy Cooper
Hallandale Beach, FL
Mayor Nicola Armacosti
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
Mayor Harry Kim
Hawaiii, HI
Mayor Barbara Halliday
Hayward, CA
Mayor Ravinder Bhalla
Hoboken, NJ
Mayor Alex Morse
Holyoke, MA
Mayor Bob Paul
Huntington Woods, MI
Mayor Serge Dedina
Imperial Beach, CA
Mayor Joe Hogsett
Indianapolis, IN
Mayor Derek Dobies
Jackson, MI
Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba
Jackson, MS
Mayor Steven M. Fulop
Jersey City, NJ
Mayor Derek Kawakami
Kaua’i, HI
Mayor Jose Alvarez
Kissimmee, FL
Mayor Indya Kincannon
Knoxville, TN
Mayor Andrew Hosmer
Laconia, NH
Mayor Adam Paul
Lakewood, CO
Mayor Danene Sorace
Lancaster, PA
Mayor Andy Schor
Lansing, MI
Mayor Ken Miyagishima
Las Cruces, NM
Mayor Craig A. Moe
Laurel, MD
Mayor Theodore Becker
Lewes, DE
Mayor Brian Bagley
Longmont, CO
Mayor Robert Garcia
Long Beach, CA
Mayor Richard Montgomery
Manhattan Beach, CA
Supervisor/Mayor Richard Parete
Marbletown, NY
Mayor Michael Victorino
Maui, HI
Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn
Medford, MA
Mayor Paul Brodeur
Melrose, MA
Mayor Jim Strickland
Memphis, TN
Mayor Francis Suarez
Miami, FL
Mayor Dan Gelber
Miami Beach, FL
Mayor Gudrip Bar
Middleton, WI
Mayor Benjamin Florsheim
Middletown, CT
Mayor Mark Gamba
Milwaukie, OR
Mayor Jacob Frey
Minneapolis, MN
Mayor Wayne M. Messam
Miramar, FL
Mayor Emily Niehaus
Moab, UT
Mayor Anne Watson
Montpelier, VT
Mayor Arlene Burns
Mosier, OR
Mayor Jennifer Gregerson
Mukilteo, WA
Mayor John Cooper
Nashville, TN
Mayor Kristopher Larsen
Nederland, CO
Mayor Ras Baraka
Newark, NJ
Mayor Donna Holaday
Newburyport, MA
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller
Newton, MA
Mayor Jon Mitchell
New Bedford, MA
Mayor David Narkewicz
Northampton, MA
Mayor Meredith Leighty
Northglenn, CO
Mayor Libby Schaaf
Oakland, CA
Mayor Cheryl Selby
Olympia, WA
Mayor Andy Beerman
Park City, UT
Mayor Jim Kenney
Philadelphia, PA
Mayor Linda Tyer
Pittsfield, MA
Mayor Kurt Metzger
Pleasant Ridge, MI
Mayor Ted Wheeler
Portland, OR
Mayor Jorge O. Elorza
Providence, RI
Mayor Cory Mason
Racine, WI
Mayor Tom Butt
Richmond, CA
Mayor Levar Stoney
Richmond, VA
Mayor Kim Norton
Rochester, MN
Mayor Caroline McCarley
Rochester, NH
Mayor Lovely Warren
Rochester, NY
Mayor Mike Fournier
Royal Oak, MI
Mayor Darrell Steinberg
Sacramento, CA
Mayor Kimberly Driscoll
Salem, MA
Mayor Erin Mendenhall
Salt Lake City, UT
Mayor London Breed
San Francisco, CA
Mayor Sam Liccardo
San Jose, CA
Mayor Pauline Cutter
San Leandro, CA
Mayor Heidi Harmon
San Luis Obispo, CA
Mayor Gary Philips
San Rafael, CA
Mayor Miguel Pulido
Santa Ana, CA
Mayor Justin Cummings
Santa Cruz, CA
Mayor Kevin McKeown
Santa Monica, CA
Mayor Meg Kelly
Saratoga Springs, NY
Mayor Van Johnson
Savannah, GA
Mayor Jenny Durkan
Seattle, WA
Mayor George Van Dusen
Skokie, IL
Mayor Scott Saunders
Smithville, TX
Mayor Joseph A Curtalone
Somerville, MA
Mayor Sally B. Phillips
South Miami, FL
Mayor Ronald Filippelli
State College, PA
Mayor Michael Tubbs
Stockton, CA
Mayor Lyda Krewson
St. Louis, MO
Mayor Rick Kriseman
St. Petersburg, FL
Mayor Michael J. Ryan
Sunrise, FL
Mayor Thomas W. Fromm
Swedesboro, NJ
Mayor Victoria Woodards
Tacoma, WA
Mayor John E. Dailey
Tallahassee, FL
Mayor Drew Fixell
Tarrytown, NY
Mayor DeLanie Young
Telluride, CO
Mayor Corey Woods
Tempe, AZ
Mayor Patrick J. Furey
Torrance, CA
Mayor Regina Romero
Tucson, AZ
Mayor Dave Chapin
Vail, CO
Mayor Jack McEvoy
Verona, NJ
Mayor Muriel Bowser
Washington, DC
Mayor Rebecca J. Garcia
Watsonville, CA
Mayor Russ Axelrod
West Linn, OR
Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath
West Hollywood, CA
Mayor Keith James
West Palm Beach, FL
Mayor Daniel Corona
West Wendover, NV
Mayor Thomas Roach
White Plains, NY
Mayor Brian Sager
Woodstock, IL
Mayor Lois Richardson
Ypsilanti, MI
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