ICYMI: Mayors Highlight Programs Lowering Costs, Boosting Local Economies, and Fighting Climate Change

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, U.S. mayors Lauren McLean (Boise, ID),  Leirion Gaylor Baird (Lincoln, NE), Andy Schor (Lansing, MI), Indya Kincannon (Knoxville, TN), and Brandon Johnson (Chicago, IL),  held a press call to showcase how investments in clean energy and infrastructure programs are lowering costs for Americans, supporting local businesses, reducing pollution, and fighting climate change. The mayors are part of the Mayoral Climate, Affordability and Prosperity Working Group, led by Climate Mayors, C40 Cities, and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN). The press call comes as the Trump administration’s Energy Department is preparing a “hit list” of clean energy projects to roll back, potentially threatening good-paying jobs, cutting back on innovation, and ceding the clean energy race to China. 

“Here in Boise and across the cities that are here today, we know that the challenges we face are multifaceted…and the decisions we're making will have an impact on the quality of life of our kids and our grandkids into the future,” said Mayor Lauren McLean. “So whether it's sharing innovative ways to lower energy costs, to create stable jobs, or even to improve infrastructure, the conversations that we've shared in this working group have been key to help me and all of us navigate shared but unique challenges…we have an incredible opportunity in the face of these challenges, to come together and create a variety of solutions that will sustain our economies today and into the future. 

“We know that when we invest in our workforce, we're strengthening our employers and our businesses. We're helping bolster our economy and make Lincoln an even better place where everyone can afford to take care of themselves and their families…We chose to invest in our families, in our businesses, and our workforce in ways that we believe will strengthen Lincoln's economic vitality and our resilience far into the future,” said Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird. “We allocated over a quarter of our American Rescue Plan funds into workforce development initiatives that are making life better for people here in Lincoln.” 

“[In Lansing] we’re dealing with the changeover in going from natural gas to renewables…and I feel like all of this not only means good for our Earth, and our economy, and our sustainability, but it's all economics that's going to save us money,” said Mayor Andy Schor. “It's going to ensure that we have more jobs, high paying jobs. You talk about a battery plant, especially with electricians, and then building cars – these are high paying jobs. We're really proud of the economic impact that sustainability managers are leading to here in Lansing.” 

“This working group is a good way for us to translate the work that we're doing to help with affordability, to help with quality of life and health through our actions on climate,” said Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon “The projects that we're doing here in Knoxville are helping to not only mitigate the effects of climate change, they improve quality of life [and] improve jobs.”

“Chicago, we tend to go big–we have a very robust climate agenda that is committed to fostering a just and a more equitable green economy, while also driving economic prosperity for everyone,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “I'm really excited about the collective work that we’re doing across the country demonstrating that we can have a planet that can be sustained and drive economic prosperity at the same time.”

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About Climate Mayors

Climate Mayors is a bipartisan network of nearly 350 mayors, demonstrating climate leadership through meaningful actions in their communities since 2014. Representing 46 states and nearly 60 million Americans, Climate Mayors reflects U.S. cities’ commitment to climate progress. For more information, visit our website and follow Climate Mayors on X, Bluesky, and LinkedIn. 

Media Contact: climatemayors@fgsglobal.com 

About C40 Cities

C40 is a global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities working to confront the climate crisis. Mayors of C40 cities employ inclusive, science-based, and collaborative approaches to cut their fair share of emissions in half by 2030, help the world limit global heating to 1.5°C, and build healthy, equitable, and resilient communities.

About the Urban Sustainability Directors Network

The Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) is a peer-to-peer network of over 3,000 local government professionals from 330 communities across the United States and Canada. USDN strives to create equitable, resilient, and sustainable communities by advancing the field of local government sustainability and equipping practitioners to be catalysts of transformative change.