On January 18th, Climate Mayors gathered together for an in-person reception to celebrate Climate Leadership. Climate Mayors recognized Chair Emeritus Mayor Sylvester Turner’s tenure and looked ahead to priorities for 2023 under incoming Chair Satya Rhodes-Conway.

Climate Mayors and Mayor Kate Gallego (Phoenix, AZ) hosted representatives from 17 western cities and officials from the Department of Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to discuss the funding available from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) under the Bureau of Reclamation’s jurisdiction that addresses water security issues. Reclamation is responsible for the management and development of the water and power infrastructure of the American West.

Climate Mayors met with White House Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation John Podesta to discuss Administration’s climate agenda for 2023 and opportunities for the White House to partner with mayors in implementing programs passed under the Biden Administration. Mayors Sylvester Turner (Houston), Satya Rhodes-Conway (Madison), Eric Adams (New York), Kate Gallego (Phoenix), Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles), LaToya Cantrell (New Orleans), Lucy Vinis (Eugene), and 20 additional Climate Mayors attended to promote strong partnerships between federal agencies and mayors and communicate barriers they are facing in utilizing the new federal funding to drive the transformational change needed to address climate change and advance equity and the intensifying climate impacts they are experiencing in their cities, including extreme heat and flooding.

14 mayors from Climate Mayors and C40 and representatives from an additional  5 cities met with senior officials from the Biden-Harris Administration to discuss the implementation of the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to advance equitable climate action in cities. The meeting was hosted by Climate  Mayors and C40 with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, RMI, and the World Resources Institute.