PRESS RELEASE: 415 Mayors and City Councilmembers Urge Congress to Swiftly Pass a Comprehensive, Clean Emergency Disaster Relief Bill for Impacted Communities

Washington, DC (November 18, 2024) –  Communities across the U.S. have been devastated by more than 160 disaster declarations since 2023. Today, 415 mayors and councilmembers call on Congress to swiftly pass an emergency disaster relief bill to support communities impacted by these disasters. The initial Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster relief funding allocated by Congress will soon be exhausted, and local leaders are urging Congress to fully replenish this funding. Mayors and councilmembers across the country are on the front-lines of disaster response and in order to effectively support their communities in responding to the devastating effects of historic storms, they will require strong and consistent support from Washington. 

Communities across the country are grappling with increasingly frequent and intensified extreme weather events caused by the climate crisis. This is their new normal. The safety and livelihoods of communities must be a priority in the context of a warming world. The letter asks Congress to fully fund FEMA’s recovery efforts, replenish the Small Business Administration’s loan program to help businesses and homeowners, provide a flexible funding structure to allow cities to address the specific recovery needs of their communities, and more. Fully funding recovery efforts is not merely a matter of good economic policy, but a fundamental obligation of the federal government to deliver support for constituents who depend on these resources in their most vulnerable times of need.

“Hurricane Helene was a storm unlike Asheville has ever experienced – leaving our community devastated and working to rebuild our homes, infrastructure, and businesses,” said Mayor Esther Manheimer of Asheville, North Carolina. “This storm has shown that no place is truly a haven from climate change. Asheville is on a long road to recovery and our community needs federal funding now to not only deliver much-needed relief but to prepare for inevitable future disasters that are becoming more frequent and intense due to our changing climate.”

As American cities continue to recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, local leaders who are a part of Climate Mayors—a bipartisan network of nearly 350 mayors committed to climate action; the National League of Cities, representing 19,000 cities, towns and villages nationwide; U.S. Conference of Mayors, representing over 1,400 cities with populations of 30,000 or more; and C40 Cities, a network of mayors from nearly 100 world-leading cities, including 14 in the United States, supported the letter and urged Congressional leadership to pass a clean, disaster emergency supplemental bill as soon as possible.

“As mayors, we are the first line of defense when disasters strike, and we see firsthand the profound impacts on our communities,” said Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa, Florida. “After the unprecedented disasters that struck Tampa Bay this year, back-to-back hurricanes, federal support is critical for a whole of government approach to disaster response. We need to ensure FEMA and our first responders have the funding ready when the next disaster strikes.”

“Cities across our country are experiencing unprecedented, and repetitive, weather-related disasters. I can personally attest to the importance of Federal disaster assistance funding as a lifeline for our residents and our city. Supplemental funding is imperative to meet the needs cities around our nation are facing,” said Councilmember Abbie Kamin of Houston, Texas.

“Our mayors and their communities are experiencing first-hand the personal impacts of extreme weather events, said Climate Mayors Executive Director Kate Wright. “Rebuilding stronger, safer, and more resilient communities requires a true partnership with the federal government. With timely support from Congress, cities can recover from this historic year of disasters and rebuild essential infrastructure that prioritizes the well-being and future of our residents.”

“Local leaders are on the front lines, as more severe and more frequent natural disasters hit their communities,” said National League of Cities CEO & Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony. “Cities, towns and villages need a federal partner to support response, recovery and rebuilding with resilience in mind. NLC urges Congress to pass an emergency supplemental disaster funding bill without delay to provide federal agencies with the essential funds necessary for recovery efforts.”

"The U.S. Conference of Mayors is pleased to join with the National League of Cities, Climate Mayors, and C40 Cities to encourage mayors and other elected local officials to urge Congress to swiftly pass a comprehensive, emergency disaster supplemental appropriations bill. This bill is essential to fund the recovery from more than 160 major disaster declarations since 2023 that have impacted communities across America. Our cities and the people who reside within them desperately need this help and Congress must act now,” said Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director. 

"Mayors in the US and around the world are on the frontlines of their communities' impacts to extreme weather caused by climate change. Every year we see more historic disasters and there is no time to hesitate in giving people the support they need to recover from these devastating events," said Laura Jay, Regional Director for North America at C40. "We, along with our partners at Climate Mayors, US Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities, call on Congress to swiftly pass the Federal disaster assistance relief that communities desperately need."

In the letter, local leaders called for the supplemental funding to:

• Fully fund FEMA’s recovery efforts for recent and future disasters

• Replenish the Small Business Administration Assistance Loan Program to help business owners and homeowners rebuild

• Ensure funding for the Economic Development Administration’s on-the-ground response programs

• Refill the U.S. Department of Transportation Emergency Relief highway and transit funds

• Provide funding to support long-term recovery efforts through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Resilience program, which is essential for helping communities sustainably rebuild their infrastructure, and

• Increase funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for families and children impacted by major national disasters since 2023.

Read the full letter here.

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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 Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact: climatemayors@fgsglobal.com
 

About National League of Cities:

The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America’s cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Media Contact: media@nlc.org

About U.S. Conference of Mayors:

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Follow our work on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, and Medium.

Media Contact: Sara Durr, sdurr@usmayors.org

About C40 Cities:

C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis and create a future where everyone, everywhere can thrive. Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to help the world limit global heating to 1.5°C and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. We work alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labour, business, the youth climate movement and civil society to support mayors to halve emissions by 2030 and help phase out fossil use while increasing urban climate resilience and equity.

To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit our website or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Media Contact: c40@fgsglobal.com

Letter: Climate Mayors, C40, and USDN Urge President Biden and Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, on Fiscal Year 2026 Agency Budget Appropriations Priorities

August 20, 2024

Dear President Biden and Director Shalanda Young: 

Local governments are committed to proactively preparing for climate change that avoid and minimize its negative impacts, to rebuilding stronger and better when disasters strike, to mitigating structural inequities, to slashing greenhouse gas emissions, and to building opportunities for Americans to thrive and reach their full potential. These goals require targeted investments in American cities to build out our nation’s sustainable infrastructure, to create well-paying “high road” jobs, and to support a resilient, clean energy future. 

As members of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of over 350 mayors committed to climate action, the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), a coalition of local government sustainability leaders representing more than 320 communities in the US and Canada, and C40 Cities, a global network of nearly 100 of the world’s leading cities, we are writing to share our FY26 appropriations priorities for climate and clean energy programs. On behalf of these national organizations that represent mayors and sustainability offices that are leading on climate action and sustainability, we respectfully ask for your support in making federal funding more accessible for cities that are often capacity and resource constrained. Additionally, we recognize the federal government's budgetary constraints due to the Fiscal Responsibility Act (debt ceiling bill) and hope you consider these requests from our organizations.   Local governments play a pivotal role in climate action and the federal government has a crucial role in supporting local governments in their place-based actions to achieve climate resilience. We ask that you review this paper, developed by  C40 Cities, Climate Mayors and USDN to illustrate the roles that cities will play in implementing IRA and BIL, identify the tools and resources local governments need to deploy federal climate funds most efficiently and effectively, and recommend what federal agencies, state governments, funders, and climate advocates can do to help.

Remove Barriers to Help Local Governments Confront the Climate Crisis 

In the face of frequent and immediate climate emergencies, local governments need funding and support to simultaneously cut greenhouse gas emissions, confront climate hazards, and address long-standing and intersecting issues related to equity, health, and economic opportunity. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), historic levels of funding are available for climate action; however, barriers remain for cities that are due to or exacerbated by the design of federal funding programs.  We urge the federal government to adopt the following principles, which centers local climate action, and we urge the uptake of these specific recommendations related to individual program areas, to ensure that spending supports, and does not hinder, confronting the climate emergency.

Principles for Federal Support of Local Climate Action

Local governments are ready to meet this moment and build an economy that is inclusive, robust, and sustainable. Therefore, we urge federal agencies to adopt the follow principles to support local climate action:

1. Prioritize and expand programs where funding flows directly to local governments from the federal government.

2. Provide clear guidance to states on how to effectively engage local and tribal governments and community organizations in the award of state formula funding, to improve inclusivity and accountability.

3. Ensure that federal programs and funding (including IRA rebates and tax credits) reach disadvantaged communities and allow sufficient administrative and implementation flexibility to meet their needs, including pre-award flexibility to allow for the use of state and local data that is more up-to-date and in tune with community needs..

4. Simplify the process, remove administrative hurdles, and provide accessible funding and technical assistance to local and tribal governments and community organizations to ensure they can participate in funding opportunities, including budget allowances for pre-proposal costs for more programs, building on the recently announced and welcome changes to the Uniform Grants Guidance.

5. Provide technical assistance and other resources for post-award grants management that builds capacity within local governments and provides confidence in the ability to handle additional awards if received.

6. Ensure that federal spending is accompanied by workforce standards and funding for workforce development that prioritizes job quality and equitable access to well-paying high road careers.

Summary of the FY2026 Budgetary Requests

In addition to the federal government adopting the above principles for federal support of climate action, our organizations recommend the following budgetary requests for the following priority federal programs.

Building Decarbonization

• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program

• Increase funding for EECBG to $3.1 billion and broaden the scope and definitions within EECBG. 

• Fund the EECBG program annually.

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP)

• Renew this direct loan and grant program at $1 billion as initially authorized by the IRA.

Climate Resilience & Hazard Mitigation

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program

• Increase BRIC program funding to $2 billion. 

• Require FEMA to brief on its current and planned strategies to help state, local, tribal and territorial governments effectively leverage the BRIC program. 

• Set aside funding to provide technical assistance to communities in the development of building codes, or, where local governments do not have jurisdiction over the building code, other strategies to decarbonize and improve the resilience of buildings.

• Allow funding to flow directly to local governments. 

• Update the program to include heat waves as one of the natural hazards projects can address.

• Maintain a streamlined benefit-cost analysis process in competitions where such data is required.

Community-Centered Transportation

• U.S.Department of Transportation (DOT) Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program (RCP)

• Fund the program at $205 million in FY26 including funding for out-years of current grants and new funding for additional grants.

• Renew this grant program at $1 billion annually as initially funded in FY22. 

Sustainability Workforce Development

• U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• Provide additional funding for clean energy, transportation, and green infrastructure projects built with high road labor standards, and additional funding for projects built with domestic content standards. 

• Provide $500 million to help cities formalize community workforce agreements (CWAs) including support for CWA capacity building (training and technical assistance).

Building Decarbonization 

Local governments are uniquely positioned to implement building decarbonization.  Building decarbonization is a critical pathway for local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs, and provide healthier, more comfortable homes and places of work.  We very much appreciate the increased emphasis on energy efficiency programs in the IIJA and the IRA, and we request that you include increases in the following programs. 

U.S. Department of Energy

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program - $3.1 billion

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program represents the largest nationwide direct, equitable investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies at the local level in U.S. history. The legacy of the EECBG program provides local communities with consistent funding resources that will increase renewable energy capacity, technical knowledge, and deployment of energy efficiency projects at the local level.

EECBG is one of the most important programs for local sustainability offices, because it is flexible and much of the funding is given directly to local governments. The program empowers local governments to make decisive actions in their communities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce total energy use and costs, and spur economic growth with the creation and retention of jobs. Communities are able to use EECBG to directly implement their own energy and conservation goals and Climate Action Plans. The continued investments in the EECBG program will rapidly increase local government's capabilities to meet national carbon emission reduction goals while also improving local economies. 

Therefore, we ask that you increase funding for EECBG to the ARRA-era funding level of $3.1 billion. We also ask to broaden the scope and definitions within EECBG to allow funding for: 

• community-based project development and implementation; 

• water efficiency;, 

• energy efficiency in building retrofit programs; 

• decarbonization of transit modes and buildings through electrification; 

• seed money for finance programs; 

• training and support services related to jobs; 

• an oversight mechanism that ensures rapid and equitable distribution of funds; and 

• the incorporation of labor and community standards for projects. 

Finally, we urge you to recommend that the EECBG funding receive annual, permanent appropriations and additional funding for staff at DOE to implement the program.  The predictability of funding enables cities to build capacity and plan for future investments and sustained programs.  

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 

Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) - $1 billion

The Green and Resilient Retrofit Program provides grants or loans to landlords of HUD assisted properties serving  very low-income families, seniors, and persons with disabilities.  Projects can measure energy usage and efficiency, reduce energy use, improve energy and water efficiency, enhance indoor air quality, implement zero-emission strategies, and address climate resilience. This funding is essential to communities as it prepares and protects the most vulnerable residents and properties by reducing their exposure to hazards and by protecting life, livability, and property when disaster strikes.  Therefore, we request that this program be renewed at $1 billion as initially authorized by the IRA.

Climate Resilience & Hazard Mitigation

In the face of frequent climate emergencies, local governments need continuous funding to proactively improve community resilience alongside the intermittent funding that comes following a disaster. There is disproportionately more federal funding available for disaster recovery than hazard mitigation, and the funding that is available for recovery is difficult to access and comes with procedural delays and obstacles. Therefore, we recommend additional funding and policy consideration for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program. 

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program - $2 billion

The national significance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program lies in its ability to support states, local governments, tribes and territories across the country as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards. 

For the FY 2023 competition, the program received 1,234 sub-applications from every state, 5 territories, and 35 tribes, requesting $5.66 billion in federal cost share funding. However, it was only able to fund 656 projects. We are thankful for these resources and the $1 billion authorized in the IIJA for FY2023. However, as with other grant programs relevant to sustainability, we also know that the program is consistently oversubscribed. 

We request that the BRIC program be funded at $2 billion in FY2026, as included in the FY 2025 Appropriations Committee budget and the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. We also request that additional funds be set aside as part of BRIC (or in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Energy Codes Program) to assist communities in the development of building codes or, where local governments do not have jurisdiction over the building code, other strategies to decarbonize and improve the resilience of buildings and other community assets. 

Finally, eligible direct applicants for BRIC funding include States, the District of Columbia, U.S. Territories, and Federally Recognized Tribal Governments. This process, while encouraging coordination within a State, also delays the distribution of funding to local communities and poses additional hurdles. We urge you to allow direct funding to local governments with a requirement that they coordinate with and get approval from the State Hazard Mitigation Officer on their projects.

Community-Centered Transportation

Local governments play a crucial role in shaping sustainable transportation systems that benefit their residents and the environment. Federal investments in community-centered transportation and clean mobility initiatives allow local governments to create comprehensive public transit networks, expand cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, enhance accessibility for all residents, and significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. Ultimately, federal investment in local community centered transportation is vital for creating livable, sustainable urban environments that support both human well-being and environmental goals. Therefore, we suggest additional funding for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program.

U.S. Department of Transportation

Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program (RCP) - $1 billion

Federal highway policy in the mid-20th century allowed for the construction of highways where land costs were the lowest or where political resistance was weakest, often cutting through low-income and minority communities.  Community members that remained have continued to deal with the impacts of highways, creating a physical barrier to

opportunity and other negative impacts. The DOT Reconnecting Communities Program helps reverse these harmful policies by advancing community-centered transportation connection projects that improve access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature, and recreation, and fostering equitable development and restoration.  Therefore, we request that this program be funded at $205 million in FY26 to accommodate both ongoing grants in progress and new awards.  We also recommend that this program be renewed at $1 billion as initially funded in FY22.  

Sustainability Workforce Development 

There are not enough contractors and workers available to meet the true need of building retrofits, construction, and clean energy installation to meet local climate goals.  Current workforce development programs do not have sufficient scale for the training and reskilling necessary. We recommend that more opportunities be added for low-income and communities of color to benefit from the sustainability job boom and to access high-road, family-sustaining jobs that serve their communities.  This is key to meeting just transition goals.  

Labor Standards

High road labor standards sit at the intersection of worker rights, social justice, and environmentalism – and they offer a platform to build coalitions that can collectively pursue climate and equity goals with a more inclusive perspective. These standards include family-sustaining wages (i.e., prevailing wages for construction occupations, wage floors for other occupations), employer-provided benefits, career pathways, and safe and healthy working conditions.  We request that you provide additional funding for clean energy, transportation, and green infrastructure projects built 

with high road labor standards, and additional funding for projects built with domestic content standards through the following programs: 

• DOT On the Job Training Program, 

• DOT Public Transportation Technical Assistance and Workforce Development Program, 

• DOE Advancing Equity Through Workforce Partnerships, 

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) EPA Brownfields Grant Program, and

• EPA Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Grant Program. 

We ask that at least $500 million should be provided through the above mentioned programs to help local governments formalize community workforce agreements (CWAs)  between government, labor, and community stakeholders, including support for CWA capacity building (training and technical assistance), facilitated convenings, negotiations and collaborative oversight for such agreements, as well as support for aligning the workforce ecosystem around high road standards.

International Climate Financing

In addition to financing solutions to combat the climate crisis at home, the U.S. has a moral responsibility as a major contributor to climate change to lessen the burden it has passed on to countries who’ve done the least to cause the problem. Many low-and middle-income countries experience greater harm than do rich countries, but they have less wealth with which to repair the damage.   Rich countries pledged to provide $100 billion a year by 2020. The US share of this, based on its past emissions, would be $40 billion. The US must, at a minimum, deliver on its commitment to provide climate financing of $11.4 billion per year to the developing world while mainstreaming consideration of climate change across all foreign aid funding. This level of climate finance would not only signal the commitment of the US government to addressing the global climate crisis, but would also spur the growth of green investment and business opportunities for US firms.

Conclusion 

We appreciate your urgent consideration of the priorities noted above. Should you be interested in additional priorities and needs of local government needs related to climate and sustainability, please consider C40, Climate Mayors, and USDN as resources and call on us if you need information in this space. Should you have questions, please contact Cynthia McCoy, Urban Sustainability Directors Network Director of Federal Engagement at cynthiamccoy@usdn.org; Kate Johnson, C40 Director of Federal Affairs at kjohnson@c40.org; and Meghan Pazik, Policy Director at Climate Mayors, meghan@climate-mayors.org. .

Sincerely,

Kate Johnson, Interim Regional Director for North America, C40 Cities

Cynthia McCoy, Federal Engagement Director, Urban Sustainability Directors Network

Kate Wright, Executive Director of Climate Mayors

Letter: Climate Mayors and C40 Cities Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations Letter

June 25, 2024

The Honorable Charles Schumer, Majority Leader U.S. Senate, S-221, U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader U.S. Senate, S-230, U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives H-232, U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives,H-204, U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Patty Murray, Chair, U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, S-128, U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Susan Collins, Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee S-128, U.S. CapitolWashington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Tom Cole, Chair, U.S. House Appropriations Committee H-307, U.S. Capitol Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Rosa DeLauro, Ranking Member, U.S. House Appropriations Committee 1036 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader Jeffries, and Minority Leader McConnell:

First, we want to thank you for your commitment to advancing the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) appropriations legislative packages. We recognize the short-turnaround period between the passage of the FY24 spending packages and beginning of the next appropriations cycle, and appreciate Congressional leadership’s commitment to maintain consistency in the annual appropriations process. As members of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of over 350 mayors committed to climate action and C40 Cities, a global network of nearly 100 of the world’s leading cities, we are writing to share our FY25 appropriations priorities for climate and clean energy programs.

The federal government plays a crucial role in supporting local governments in their place-based actions to achieve national, state, and international climate ambitions. Local governments across the United States are hubs of leadership, innovation, and resilience. For decades, local leaders have witnessed what the changing climate means for families, for the economy, and for our nation’s future. That’s why local leaders are focused on deploying people-first solutions and delivering results for the long-term. Localities big and small, are home to nearly 83 percent of Americans and are central to building an economy that is inclusive, robust, and sustainable.

This means dissolving political barriers and working to ensure cities and their residents can benefit from all the climate and clean energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the infrastructure investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

Our organizations jointly ask you to consider funding these priority federal programs and additional policy considerations that are vital for continued local climate action:

1. Supporting and empowering local governments in addressing community energy burdens through direct, flexible funding.

   DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office (EERE) –$4 billion DOE’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) – $574 million

   It is imperative for reducing energy burdens for families across the U.S. to increase federal funding for essential energy efficiency programs. We urge you and your colleagues to appropriate $4 billion, above the President's budget, for the Department of Energy’s EERE Office, along with $574 million for the SCEP Office.

   This funding supports the Weatherization Assistance Program, State and Local Government Energy Programs, and Energy Future Grants. Specifically, funding for SCEP provides direct, equitable, investments through the Energy Efficiency and Community Block Grant (EECBG) program. While EECBG received $550 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this program empowers local governments to make decisive actions in their communities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce total energy use and reduce total energy costs, and spur economic growth with the creation and retention of jobs and should continue to receive funding on an ongoing basis.

   Additionally, we urge you and your colleagues to consider providing annual appropriations for EECBG. This program is one of the only formula based, flexible funding streams at the local level. Increasing funding for this program supports local governments in providing essential energy efficiency and weatherization upgrade services to residents.

2. Increasing the EPA’s core capacities to protect public health and the environment, including increasing funding for environmental justice efforts, staffing, and additional climate-related programs.

   The EPA has been under critical funding recessions, leaving the agency at a deficit to administer programs that align with the agency’s core capacities to protect public health and the environment. Major funding recessions have limited the agency’s ability to implement programs that are essential to lifting up communities burdened with polluted air, water, and soil. Therefore, we urge you and your colleagues to appropriate funding at or above the President’s request to ensure EPA’s core agency functions are maintained to further the implementation of IRA and BIL. This includes increasing capacity for EPA’s State Water Revolving Fund, the Office of Air and Radiation, the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, the Superfund Program, the Electric School Bus Program, and supporting additional staff capacity that could potentially add an additional 2,000 employees to the agency. The EPA is a critical agency and we hope leaders continue the agency’s vital legacy of protecting public health and the environment.

3. Increasing funding to grow support for climate-resilient infrastructure and update federal response to mitigate against future climate-related disasters.

   Homeland Security, FEMA BRIC Program – $2 billion – FEMA’s BRIC program supports states, local governments, tribes, and territories across the country undertaking hazard mitigation projects to reduce the risks localities face from disasters and natural hazards. We urge you and your colleagues to appropriate $2 billion for the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Building Resilience Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. Addressing wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, extreme heat, and flooding helps make communities more resilient and reduce future costs associated with natural disasters.

   Additionally, we urge you and your colleagues to consider the inclusion of H.R. 3965, Extreme Heat Emergency Act, which adds “extreme heat” as an eligible disaster under the STAFFORD Act, in the final appropriations bills. Currently, heat waves are the leading cause of disaster deaths in the U.S., yet they are ineligible from being declared a “disaster” or receiving federal disaster declaration or funding.

4. Increasing funding to reduce energy burdens and help protect communities of color and low income constituents with increasingly frequent extreme weather emergencies.

   LIHEAP – $5.1 billion – There is a paramount need for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to receive full funding as you develop the FY2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. We urge you andyour colleagues to appropriate funding that meets the $5.1 billion maximum authorized amount for LIHEAP1 to help protect communities of color and low income constituents from rising energy costs and extreme weather emergencies.

5. Supporting funding for climate friendly housing to build new, resilient, and energy efficient affordable housing in cities.

   Housing and Urban Development, New Project Based Rental Assistance – $7.5 billion – The affordable housing and climate crises are closely intertwined. Our nation’s aging housing stock is extremely energy inefficient, and disproportionately so in poor neighborhoods who are forced to pay a larger percentage of their household budget on utility costs. We urge congressional leaders and appropriators to invest in funding at or above the President’s budget for rental based assistance contracts to incentivize the development of new climate-resilient affordable housing. These dual crises are particularly acute for people with low incomes and people of color, who are both disproportionately cost burdened and more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The scale and urgency of the affordability and climate crises requires concerted action from all levels of government, but cities are at the frontlines of climate change.

6. Avoiding any rescissions from the IRA or BIL – During the FY24 appropriations cycle, there continued to be a push to rescind major funding from the IRA and BIL. This funding is vital to a local government’s ability to provide energy efficiency upgrades for residents, safer and cleaner roadways, and reduce our nation's carbon emissions. However, programs funded through IRA and BIL, such as the Department of Energy’s Building Codes Technical Assistant program, the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program, clean energy tax incentives, DOT’s RAISE grants, DOT’s NEVI and CFI grant programs, and more continue to be targets for Congressional leaders. These vital programs touch every state and Congressional district in the U.S. We urge you and your colleagues to avoid any rescissions of IRA or BIL, as these imperative and comprehensive programs continue to support local and community needs across the country and your districts.

We appreciate your consideration of our organizations’ joint priorities. We appreciate your time and efforts and look forward to opportunities to provide further support on future federal spending bills. If you have any questions or would like to meet to discuss these priorities further, please contact Climate Mayors’ Policy Director Meghan Pazik at meghan@climate-mayors.org and C40 Cities Head of US Federal Affairs Kate Johnson at kjohnson@c40.org.

Sincerely,

Kate Wright, Executive Director of Climate Mayors

Kate Johnson, Interim Regional Director, North America for C40 Cities

Climate Mayors Joins 125 Affordable Housing, Consumer, Health, Energy Efficiency, Environmental, Business, and other Organizations On Letter to FHFA re Support for Energy Efficiency Building Codes

The 125 undersigned affordable housing, consumer, health, energy efficiency, environmental, business, and other organizations at the national, state, and local levels urge the FHFA to direct the Government Sponsored Enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to join the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) in requiring that all new homes with mortgages backed by the Enterprises meet updated building energy code requirements.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE), Allendale County ALIVE, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), American Lung Association, Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund, ARCH Community Health Coalition, ASHRAE, Bread of Life CDC of La, Brunswick County Habitat,  Building Electrification Institute, CASA of Oregon, cdcb | come dream. come build., Center for Responsible Lending, Ceres, Change the Chamber*Lobby for Climate, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Climate Action California, Climate and Community Project, Climate Equity Working Group, Climate Mayors - Kate Wright, Executive Director, Climate Psychiatry Alliance, Climate Stick Project, Collaborating Voices Foundation, Common Roots, Community Ventures, Connecticut Citizen Action Group, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Watchdog, Damascus Outreach Association Inc, Dance With Todd Inc, Dandelion Energy, Earth Advantage, Earth Ethics. Inc, Earthjustice, ENERSTRUCTA, Enterprise Community Partners, Ethical Capital Investment Collaborative, Evergreen Action, E2, Family Resources of New Orleans, Fauquier Habitat for Humanity, Frontier Housing Corporation, Full Spectrum Labs, Gary E. Hanes & Associates, LLC, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, Green America, Green Builder® Coalition, Green Projects Group, Habitat for Humanity of Bulloch County, Habitat for Humanity of Wisconsin River Area, Heart House Inc., Highland Community Builders,  Homes and Hope Community Land Trust, Housing Assistance Council, Housing Development Alliance, Inc., Housing Options & Planning Enterprises, Inc., Housing Sustainability Advisors, Institute for Market Transformation, Integrated Community Solutions, Inc, Intentional Endowments Network, Interfaith Housing and Community Services, ISAIAH (MN), Just Solutions, League of Conservation Voters, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Maine People's Alliance, MHP, MICAH- Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing, Michigan Climate Action Network, Michigan Energy Efficiency Contractors Association (MEECA), Michigan Environmental Council, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, MSCCH, National Community Reinvestment Coalition - NCRC, National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), National Electrical Manufacturers Association, National Environmental Health Association, National Housing Law Project, National NeighborWorks Association, Network for Oregon Affordable Housing, New York Geothermal Energy Organization, Next Step Network, North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, Northwest Kansas Housing, Inc., NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Our Spring Lake Store, LLC, Oxfam America, PathStone Corporation, Pennsylvania Utility Law Project, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Prelude Coast Construction, Public Citizen, Rebuilding Together Henry County, Regional Housing Legal Services,  Revolving Door Project, Rewiring America, Rise Economy, RMI, Rural Housing Opportunities Corp., San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility, San Joaquin Valley Housing Collaborative, Santa Cruz Climate Action Network, SEEDS Ecology and Education Centers, Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment, Sierra Club, Sisters of St. Francis Dubuque, IA, South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, Southside Community Development & Housing Corporation, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, The Center for New York City Neighborhoods, Inc., The Housing Assistance Corporation, The People's Justice Council, The Phoenix Group, THIS! Is What We Did, Under Gods Care Inc, U.S. Green Building Council, U.S. PIRG, "We Are Your Neighbors" Speakers Bureau, ZeroCarbonMA, 350Hawaii, 350 Yakima Climate Action

75 Mayors Urge President Biden to Finalize the Strongest Possible EPA Heavy Duty Vehicle Rules

As members of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of over 350 Mayors committed to climate action and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in our cities, we write to urge this Administration to finalize the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) strongest proposed rule for the GHG Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3 rule (HDV rule).

Our coalition believes that finalizing the EPA’s HDV rule will protect public health, address the climate crisis, and align with the heavy-duty vehicle industry’s commitment to transition to zero-emission vehicles. We know that transitioning from Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles to Electric Vehicles (EVs) results in cleaner air and positive public health benefits from improved air quality, reduced carbon emissions, and financial savings in terms of fuel and maintenance costs. Additionally, the EPA forecasts that depending on the vehicle type, their proposed rule would lead to 25-50% of new sales of HD vehicles being zero-emission in 2032. We must meet the moment and accelerate our efforts to pave the way for sustainable and systemic change.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

Mayor Justin M. Bibb, Climate Mayors Chair, City of Cleveland, OH

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Climate Mayors Chair Emeritus, City of Madison, WI

Mayor Lauren McLean, Climate Mayors Vice-Chair, City of Boise, ID

City-Climate Coalition Appropriations Letter

As members of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of over 350 mayors committed to climate action; the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), a coalition of local government sustainability practitioners representing more than 280 communities; C40 cities, a network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities, including 14 cities in the United States; the U.S. Conference of Mayors, representing over 1,400 cities with populations of 30,000 or more; and the National League of Cities, representing 19,000 cities, towns and villages nationwide, we urge Congressional leaders to move forward with final passage of a clean FY24 spending bill with zero cuts to the investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that are already working to support local economies and creating good jobs.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 just and clean energy 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.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

Kate Wright, Executive Director, Climate Mayors

Cynthia McCoy, Director, Federal Engagement, Urban Sustainability Directors Network

Clarence E. Anthony, CEO & Executive Director, National League of Cities

Laura Jay, Regional Director, North AmericaC40 Cities

Tom Cochran, CEO & Executive DirectorThe U.S. Conference of Mayors

Climate Mayors Elective Pay Feedback Letter

We thank the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (together, Treasury) for providing this opportunity to comment on Treasury’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR or proposed rule)¹ providing additional guidance on the Elective Payment of Applicable Credits established under Section 6417 of the Internal Revenue Code, as added by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022. The undersigned Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of over 350 Mayors, believe the intentions of elective pay will be truly transformative for cities and appreciate Treasury considering integrating these recommendations into the final guidance.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein here.

Signed,

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway City of Madison, WI Climate Mayors Chair
Mayor Kate Gallego City of Phoenix, AZ Climate Mayors Vice Chair
Mayor Justin M. Bibb City of Cleveland, OH Climate Mayors Vice Chair 
Steering Committee Members Mayor
Michael P Cahill City of Beverly, MA Mayor LaToya Cantrell City of New Orleans, LA Mayor Jane Castor City of Tampa, FL Mayor Andre Dickens City of Atlanta, GA Mayor Jacob Frey City of Minneapolis, MN Mayor Craig Greenberg City of Louisville, KY Mayor James Hovland City of Edina, MN Mayor Lioneld Jordan City of Fayetteville, AR Mayor Indya Kincannon City of Knoxville, TN Mayor Lauren McLean City of Boise, ID Mayor Jeffrey J. Mims, Jr. City of Dayton, OH Mayor Ron Nirenberg City of San Antonio, TX Mayor Daniel J. Rickenmann City of Columbia, SC Mayor Regina Romero City of Tucson, AZ Mayor Lucy Vinis City of Eugene, OR Mayor Michelle Wu City of Boston, MA Climate Mayors Membership Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft City of Alameda, CA Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird City of Lincoln, NE Mayor Lisa Batey Milwaukie, OR Mayor Angela Birney City of Redmond, WA Mayor Daniel Biss City of Evanston, IL Mayor Rick Blangiardi City and County of Honolulu, HI Mayor Noam Bramson City of New Rochelle, NY Mayor Paul Brodeur City of Melrose, MA Mayor Barbara Buffaloe City of Columbia, MO Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Miami-Dade County, FL Mayor Paige G. Cognetti Scranton, PA Mayor Chance Cutrano Town of Fairfax, CA Mayor Gleam Davis City of Santa Monica, CA Mayor John Giles City of Mesa, AZ Mayor Bruce Harrell City of Seattle, WA Mayor Jordan Hess City of Missoula, MT Mayor Brandon Johnson Chicago, IL Mayor Cavalier Johnson City of Milwaukee, WI Mayor Emily Larson City of Duluth, MN Mayor Heidi Leub City of Tigard, OR Mayor Matt Mahan City of San Jose, CA Mayor Steve Noble City of Kingston, NY Mayor John Ortega Village of Questa, NM Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard City of Mount Vernon, NY Mayor Mary Lou Pauly City of Issaquah, WA President Senta Plunkett Village of Wilmette, IL Mayor Thomas M. Roach City of White Plains, NY Mayor Talisha Searcy City of Takoma Park, MD Mayor Damon Seils Town of Carrboro, NC Mayor Gamal Sherif Borough of Rutledge, PA Mayor Christopher Taylor City of Ann Arbor, MI Mayor Alan Webber City of Santa Fe, NM Mayor Miro Weinberger City of Burlington, VT

 ¹88 Fed. Reg.  40528 - Section 6417 (June 14, 2023), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-06-21/pdf/2023-12798.pdf

Climate Mayors Sends Letter on Shaping the Department of Transportation’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Infrastructure (ARPA-I) Passed in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Dear Secretary Buttigieg and Acting Assistant Secretary Hampshire:

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the program design and implementation of the potential research and development areas for the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Infrastructure (ARPA-I) passed in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). As an organization that represents a bipartisan network of over 350 Mayors committed to climate action, our members recognize and believe this innovative structure within the Department of Transportation (DOT) will help realize our infrastructure, transportation, and climate ambitions. We appreciate the Administration’s efforts to request feedback on potential research and development areas for ARPA-I that will inevitably support innovation in the transportation sector – which is not only the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) source in the U.S. but is the leading source of emissions in cities across the country.

In general, our organization provides the following recommendations in response to potential areas for research and development for APRA-I:

•  Ensure consistency in reporting of GHG emissions across potential research and development areas for ARPA-I.

•  Integrate recommendations from the White House Climate-Smart Infrastructure Interagency Working Group (CSI IWG) to ensure best practices across APRA-I Implementation

• Prioritize research and development opportunities that align climate resilience with improving and electrifying all modes of transportation.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

Kate Wright, Executive Director, Climate Mayors

Climate Mayors and C40 Joint Letter to EPA on Power Plant Rules

C40 is a network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities, including 14 cities in the United States, collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. Climate Mayors is a peer-to-peer network that has mobilized more than 750 U.S. mayors representing 48 states and nearly 60 million Americans. We applaud the efforts of the EPA to use your authority to cut greenhouse gas emissions, including the recently proposed standards to limit greenhouse gases (GHG) and other harmful pollutants from new and existing power plants. We urge EPA to quickly adopt ambitious standards that cut the greatest amount of possible GHGs as quickly as possible. We also urge EPA to center the needs of communities impacted by fossil fuels and climate change by establishing meaningful local engagement processes in state planning and implementation of the standards.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

Laura Jay, Regional Director, North AmericaC40 Cities

Kate Wright, Executive Director, Climate Mayors

Climate Mayors Thanks EPA for Development of the Implementation Framework for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and Urges Agency for Continued Coordination with Cities

Thank you for the opportunity to submit additional feedback to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) implementation framework. As an organization with a bipartisan network that has mobilized over 750 mayors on climate action, Climate Mayors applauds EPA’s efforts to quickly provide initial information on the GGRF Implementation Framework. Climate Mayors is not intending to apply for either competition or the Solar for All grant through the GGRF. However, we anticipate that several of our members will be eligible and may apply for the Solar for All program. We welcome continued partnership with EPA on the GGRF program to support outreach, community roundtable coordination, listening sessions, and other outreach events with potential grant recipients and help achieve the program and Administrative climate goals.

In addition to these comments and appreciation for EPA providing the GGRF Implementation Framework as quickly as possible, we are providing the following recommendations:

• We recommend that EPA expand priority programs for new, sustainable (zero-carbon) affordable housing buildings in addition to decarbonization of retrofits of existing buildings.

• We recommend as part of these components of a program requirement plan that States be required to coordinate with municipalities to be eligible for the Solar for All funding.

• We recommend that the EPA provide as much time as possible for planning and development of applications.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

Climate Mayors

Climate Mayors Joins the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and City-Led Organizations on Letter to Shape the Department of Energy’s Zero-Building Energy Code Adoption Program

We recommend that DOE support state and local governments (jurisdictions) and partner applicants to adopt and implement the latest codes and zero codes for new and existing buildings as well as residential, multifamily, and commercial buildings. We recommend that DOE allow jurisdictions to focus their efforts on the areas where they can have the greatest impact through energy savings, decarbonization, and community benefits including advancing equity, affordability, and workforce development. We believe DOE should provide significant support for a code workplan/roadmap and then allocate funding based on these plans.

We recommend that the funding process emphasize brevity and simplicity. With this in mind, we recommend that DOE develop a one-page grant application and off-the-shelf workplans for jurisdictions wanting a streamlined process. We recommend that DOE also have a funded planning grant process to support jurisdictions in developing a customized codes roadmap. We recommend that the implementation grants provide rolling funding (formula and competitive) to carry out the plan within the workplan or roadmap.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)

Climate Mayors

Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN)

C40 Cities

Southeast Sustainability Directors Network (SSDN)

Climate Mayors Joins Over 100 Advocates To Oppose H.R. 1 and the Repeal of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

We, the undersigned, write in strong opposition to H.R. 1, The Lower Energy Costs Act, which would gut key environmental protections and delay the transition to a clean energy future by locking in decades of dependence on fossil fuels. Among the many disastrous provisions in H.R. 1 that would undermine climate action and put communities at risk, the legislation seeks to repeal Section 134 of the Clean Air Act, otherwise known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). We urge Members of Congress to join us in supporting this landmark program and opposing reckless legislation to repeal it.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

1000 Friends of Wisconsin, 350.org, 350 Deschutes, A Just Harvest, African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, Alaska Wilderness League, Allectrify, PBC, American Council for an Energy-Efficient, Economy (ACEEE), Americans for Financial Reform, Azul, Building Electrification Institute, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Calvert Impact, Ceres, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, City of Richmond, VA, Clean Energy Business Network, Clean Up the River Environment (CURE), Climate + Energy Project, Climate Mayors, Climate Reality Chicago Metro, Coalition for Green Capital, Colorado Clean Energy Fund, Columbus Region Green Fund, Community Preservation Corporation, Dream.org, e^2=equitable energy ventures,  E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), Earthjustice, Ecority, Elevate, Endangered Species Coalition, Enterprise Community Partners, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Environmental Law & Policy Center, Evergreen Action, Garrison Associates, Go Green Illinois, GreenLatinos, Hip Hop Caucus, Illinois Environmental Council, Inclusiv, Inclusive Prosperity Capital, Inc., Indiana Environmental Clean Energy J40, Corporation, Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), Kinetic Communities Consulting, League of Conservation Voters (LCV), Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Main Street America, Metro East Green Alliance, Metropolitan Energy Center, Metropolitan Planning Council, Midwest Building Decarbonization, Coalition,  3,  Missouri Green Banc, NAACP, National Association for Latino Community, Asset Builders, National Housing Trust, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Nevada Clean Energy Fund, North American Insulation Manufacturers, Association, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Ocean Conservancy, Ocean Defense Initiative, ONE Northside, Organized Uplifting Resources and, Strategies, Philadelphia Energy Authority, Philadelphia Green Capital Corp., Pilgrim Progress Community Development, Corporation, Public Citizen, Regional Plan Association, Rewiring America,  Ride Illinois, Save Our Illinois Land, Sealed, Sierra Club, Slipstream, Smart Growth America, Solar United Neighbors, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, Southern Environmental Law Center, The Capital Good Fund, Tucson Industrial Development Authority, Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of, Illinois, Unitarian Universalist Association, United Congregations of Metro East, UtilityAPI, VEIC, Vote Solar, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Wisconsin EcoLatinos, Wisdom’s Well

Climate Mayors and Urban Sustainability Directors Network Submit Letter to the Office of Management and Budget to Ensure Streamlining of Federal Grants

We, the undersigned, are pleased to submit these comments on the update of Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulation (CFR), subtitle A, chapters I and II. The Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) represents over 260 local government practitioners representing over 100 million residents, sharing best practices and accelerating transformative change across the United States and Canada. Climate Mayors represents a bipartisan network of over 500 mayors committed to climate action. We urge the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to consider the following recommendations when updating title 2 of the CFR to reduce the administrative burden on federal grant applicants. As illustrated in the chart below, local governments have difficulty navigating the federal funding landscape, knowing what funding is available, and knowing how to pursue that funding. This is further compounded by the lack of capacity within local governments to look for, apply to, and administer federal grant applications and awards. Significant changes are needed in the grant application and post award reporting processes to reduce the administrative burden on these local government entities.

• Notice Period. We ask that all federal awarding agencies that announce notices of intent to post funding opportunities do so at least 60 days prior to releasing their funding opportunities.

• Availability period. We ask that all federal awarding agencies be required to make funding opportunities available for application for at least 60 calendar days.

• Grant application. We ask that one universal federal grant application be developed and adopted by all federal awarding agencies to standardize the application process, required forms, application and award timeline, and auto populate the system and forms with information that remains constant.

• Grant Reporting. We ask that the federal awarding agencies allow for more simple, streamlined, and flexible grant reporting after receiving a grant award, as well as use reporting forms with components that are standardized across agencies.

• Allowable Costs. We ask for flexibility in the list of allowable costs in all grant awards.

• Standardization. We ask that Grants.gov standardize their notifications for all opportunities, even when a full application package is not required for submission.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

Climate Mayors

Urban Sustainability Directors Network

Climate Mayors, C40 Cities, USDN and City-Led Organizations Submit Letter to EPA with Recommendations to Ensure U.S. Cities Can Maximize the Benefits of Climate Pollution Reduction Grants

On behalf of our organizations that support climate action at the local level, we are pleased to submit these comments on the design and implementation of the newly created Climate Pollution Reduction Fund Program. The $5 billion available for planning and implementation of actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the state and local level could provide much needed capacity to accelerate transformative climate action and fill gaps in other new and existing funding programs. Critically, the program can build on the success and lessons learned from the many local governments that have created and are now implementing innovative climate action plans that advance both climate and equity goals.

We urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consider the following cross-cutting principles in implementing the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program and provide specific recommendations for each of the types of funding available for planning, implementation and technical assistance:

• Cross Cutting Principles: For the program to deliver ambitious climate action, it is essential EPA recognize the crucial role of local governments in state and regional planning and implementation. To the greatest extent possible, we strongly urge the Agency to provide funding directly to local governments who are well-positioned to engage with communities and residents and have an acute understanding of how climate action can deliver health, economic, and other co-benefits at the community-level.

• Planning Grants ($250M): The program must recognize the extent to which many state and local governments have already adopted climate action plans. Inclusive climate action plans can often take a year or more to complete and require significant allocation of limited resources, time, and staff capacity.

• Implementation Grants (~$4.75B): EPA should prioritize implementation funding to jumpstart the most promising strategies, including those at the local and regional level, that can deliver rapid emissions reductions and benefits to disadvantaged communities and those on the frontlines of climate change. EPA should also maximize the broad and flexible nature of the program compared to other sources of federal funding.

• Administrative Funding (up to $142M): Technical assistance should provide eligible entities, especially those that otherwise wouldn’t have the capacity or means to develop plans on their own, support to develop and implement comprehensive climate action plans that embed multiple additional environmental, health, equity, economic and societal benefits.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

Climate Mayors

C40 Cities

National League of Cities

Southeast Sustainability Directors Network

The U.S. Conference of Mayors

Urban Sustainability Directors Network

Climate Mayors and Urban Sustainability Directors Network Joint Letter to House and Senate Leadership Urging End of Year Passage of FY23 Appropriations

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McCarthy, and Minority Leader McConnell:

First, we want to thank you for your commitment to continue negotiations to potentially move forward with the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) appropriations legislative packages. We recognize the limited time Congress has to negotiate the end of year spending packages. However, as members of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of over 500 mayors committed to climate action, and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, a coalition of local government sustainability practitioners representing more than 250 communities, we urge Congressional leaders to move forward with final passage of the FY23 appropriations bills to support our local economies, continue to create good jobs, and avoid further uncertainty that weakens our communities.

In addition to our request for Congressional action of passage of the FY23 appropriations bills, we ask you to consider the following top line funding levels for critical energy, infrastructure, and health programs that are vital for continued local climate action:

• $4 billion for the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office, along with $562 million for the Department of Energy’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP).

• $2 billion for Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Building Resilience Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.

• $75 million to address the health impacts of climate change for the Health and Human Services’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

Kate Wright, Executive Director, Climate Mayors

Shauna Sylvester, Executive Director Urban Sustainability Directors Network

Climate Mayors and City-Led Organizations Submit Letter to EPA on How to Shape the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

Climate Mayors, along with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and National League of Cities, submitted a request for information (RFI) to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of cities to provide feedback on the program design and implementation of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) passed in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This $27 billion in funding over the next two years provides a first-of-its-kind national program to mobilize financing and leverage private capital for clean energy and climate projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while also emphasizing projects that benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities. The GGRF builds on the successes of state and local green banks and other investment funds that leverage limited public funds to attract private investment while helping to foster an inclusive green economy through job creation and equitable access to low-cost energy upgrades. As organizations who advocate for the investment in local level climate action to achieve our national climate goals, we recommend that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) use the following high-level principles to implement the GHGRF equitably and in alignment with President Biden’s Justice40 initiative (J40):

• Defining low-income and disadvantaged communities.

• Ensure funding flows directly to local governments.

• Coordinate with existing State programs and federal research resources to support technical assistance and capacity building for local governments.

• Prioritize investments and benefits in low-income and disadvantaged communities.

• Conduct a gap-analysis to determine eligible projects and maximize GHG reducing projects.

Read the full letter and recommendations therein HERE.

Signed,

Climate Mayors

National League of Cities

The U.S. Conference of Mayors

Open Letter from Climate Mayors Leadership on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer,

We, the leadership of Climate Mayors, a network of more than 500 U.S. mayors across the country committed to climate leadership and progress in cities, write urging you to act swiftly to pass the Inflation Reduction Act and deliver critical climate and clean energy investments to communities around the country. While we await bold federal climate action, our cities, frontline communities, and other overburdened communities have had their lives, livelihoods, and homes threatened by the impacts of the climate crisis. This landmark piece of legislation will finally provide local leaders with the resources and tools to implement cleaner, more sustainable, and more equitable climate solutions. Cities have made tremendous climate progress in recent years but we can only go so far – this legislation will ensure our country delivers on our climate commitments to the American people and the world. Passing legislation in Congress remains the surest and most durable path to giving local communities the necessary support to reduce pollution, create jobs, and build clean, affordable infrastructure. Any delay in the passage of the IRA will only exacerbate the problems our cities face because of the climate crisis. We cannot let this opportunity for tangible climate action pass us by.

Signed,

Sylvester Turner Mayor, City of Houston
Kate Gallego Mayor, City of Phoenix
Satya Rhodes-Conway Mayor, City of Madison

Local Climate Action and Resilient Infrastructure Letter

146 Mayors from the Climate Mayors network sent a letter to Congressional leadership calling for the passage of an infrastructure and economic recovery package that supports the critical work of America’s towns and cities to address climate change, create economic opportunity, and confront environmental injustice. In the letter to Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McCarthy, and Minority Leader McConnell, the Climate Mayors lay out their priorities for federal legislation.

Read the full letter HERE.

146 Mayors have signed on to the letter

Anchorage, AK- Mayor Davidson Fayetteville, AR- Mayor Jordan Flagstaff, AZ- Mayor Deasy Phoenix, AZ- Mayor Gallego Tempe, ZA- Mayor Woods Tucson, AZ- Mayor Romero Berkeley, CA- Mayor Arreguin Chula Vista, CA- Mayor Salas Cotati, CA- Mayor Moore Fremont, CA- Mayor Mei Goleta, CA- Mayor Perotte Hayward, CA- Mayor Halliday Imperial Beach, CA- Mayor Dedina Long Beach, CA- Mayor Garcia Los Angeles, CA- Mayor Garcetti Oakland, CA- Mayor Schaaf Richmond, CA- Mayor Butt Sacramento, CA- Mayor Steinberg San Diego, CA- Mayor Gloria San Francisco, CA- Mayor Breed San Jose, CA- Mayor Liccardo San Leandro, CA- Mayor Cutter San Luis Obispo, CA- Mayor Harmon San Rafael, CA- Mayor Colin Santa Cruz, CA- Mayor Meyers Santa Monica, CA- Mayor Himmelrich Watsonville, CA- Mayor Dutra West Hollywood, CA- Mayor Horvath Aspen, CO- Mayor Torre Boulder, CO- Mayor Weaver Breckenridge, CO- Mayor Mamula Denver, CO- Mayor Hancock Fort Collins, CO- Mayor Arndt Golden, CO- Mayor Weinberg Telluride, CO- Mayor Young Bridgeport, CT- Mayor Ganim Hartford, CT- Mayor BroninMiddletown, CT- Mayor Florsheim Washington, DC- Mayor Bowser Lewes, DE- Mayor Becker Boynton Beach, FL- Mayor Grant Coral Gables, FL- Mayor Lago Gainesville, FL- Mayor Poe Hallandale Beach, FL- Mayor Cooper Miami Beach, FL- Mayor Gelber Miramar, FL- Mayor Messam Orlando, FL- Mayor Dyer Pensacola, FL- Mayor Robinson St. Petersburg, FL- Mayor Kriseman Tampa, FL- Mayor Castor West Palm Beach, FL- Mayor James Savannah, GA- Mayor Johnson Hawai’i, County of, HI- Mayor Roth Honolulu, City and County of, HI- Mayor Blangiardi Kauaʻi, County of, HI- Mayor Kawakami Maui, County of, HI- Mayor Victorino Boise, ID- Mayor McLean Chicago, IL- Mayor Lightfoot Evanston, IL- Mayor Biss Hoffman Estates, IL- Mayor McCleod Skokie, Village of, IL- Mayor Van Dusen Carmel, IN- Mayor Brainard Fort Wayne, IN- Mayor Henry Indianapolis, IN- Mayor Hogsett Louisville, KY- Mayor Fischer NewOrleans, LA- Mayor Cantrell Beverly, MA- Mayor Cahill Boston, MA- Mayor Janey Gloucester, MA- Mayor Romeo Theken Medford, MA- Mayor Lungo-Koehn Newburyport, MA- Mayor Holaday Northampton, MA- Mayor Narkewicz Somerville, MA- Mayor Curatone Baltimore, MD- Mayor Scott College Park, MD- Mayor Wojahn Greenbelt, MD- Mayor Byrd Laurel, MD- Mayor Moe Takoma Park, MD- Mayor Stewart Ann Arbor, MI- Mayor Taylor Ferndale, MI- Mayor Piana Grand Rapids, MI- Mayor BlissLansing, MI- Mayor Schor Royal Oak, MI- Mayor Fournier Sterling Heights, MI- Mayor Taylor Burnsville, MN- Mayor Kautz Duluth, MN- Mayor Larson Edina, MN- Mayor Hovand Minneapolis, MN- Mayor Frey St. Paul, MN- Mayor Carter Bozeman, MT- Mayor Andrus St. Louis, MO- Mayor Jones Asheville, NC- Mayor Manheimer Chapel Hill, NC- Mayor Hemminger Charlotte, NC- Mayor Lyles Highlands, NC- Mayor Taylor Lincoln, NE- Mayor Gaylor Baird Claremont, NH- Mayor Lovett Dover, NH- Mayor Carrier Manchester, NH- Mayor Craig Nashua, NH- Mayor Donchess Brunswick, NJ- Mayor Womack Secaucus, NJ- Mayor Gonnelli Swedesboro, NJ- Mayor Fromm Albuquerque, NM- Mayor Keller Las Cruces, NM- Mayor Miyagishima Albany, NY- Mayor Sheehan Ardsley, Village of, NY- Mayor Kaboolian Cooperstown, Village of, NY- Mayor Tillapaugh Cortland, NY- Mayor Tobin Dobbs Ferry, Village of, NY- Mayor Rossillo Hastings-on-Judson, Village of, NY- Mayor Armacost Ithaca, NY- Mayor Myrick Kingston, NY- Mayor Noble NewYork City, NY- Mayor de Blasio White Plains, NY- Mayor Roach Cincinnati, OH- Mayor Cranley Columbus, OH- Mayor Ginther Beaverton, OR- Mayor Beaty Eugene, OR- Mayor Vinis Milwaukie, OR- Mayor Gamba Mosier, OR- Mayor Burns Portland, OR- Mayor Wheeler Erie, PA- Mayor Schember Philadelphia, PA- Mayor Kenney Pittsburgh, PA- Mayor PedutoProvidence, RI- Mayor Elorza Charleston, SC- Mayor Tecklenburg Columbia, SC- Mayor Benjamin Chattanooga, TN- Mayor Kelly Knoxville, TN- Mayor Kincannon Austin, TX- Mayor Adler Dallas, TX- Mayor Johnson Houston, TX- Mayor Turner Manor, TX- Mayor Wallace San Antonio, TX- Mayor Nirenberg Salt Lake City, UT- Mayor Mendenhall Alexandria, VA- Mayor Wilson Blacksburg, VA- Mayor Hager-Smith Charlottesville, VA- Mayor Walker Falls Church, VA- Mayor Tarter Mukilteo, WA- Mayor Gregerson Olympia, WA- Mayor Selby Seattle, WA- Mayor Durkan Green Bay, WI- Mayor Genrich Madison, WI- Mayor Rhodes-Conway Middleton, WI- Mayor Brar

Climate Mayors Call for Green and Equitable National Recovery

Letter from Climate Mayors Chair and Co-Chairs

We are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. We face one of the greatest opportunities our generation has ever seen both for sustainable and equitable economic growth and for the reduction of greenhouse gases – and we must seize it.

Climate Mayors – a bipartisan network of over 470 U.S. mayors – is playing a leading role to preserve our environment, create well-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 challenging times, and we will continue to prioritize policies and programs that help build a better, more sustainable future. Cities across America have long demonstrated that economic growth and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. 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.

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 policymakers to look to local governments and communities to find meaningful solutions to these shared challenges. If fully funded, effectively implemented, and flexible enough to be adapted locally, the policies highlighted in this report will have a lasting impact on our ability to meet the scope and scale of the challenges before us.

This report highlights key policy priorities and local success stories that are contributing to a green and equitable recovery and have a demonstrated track record of creating jobs and building resilience. We would like to thank RMI for authoring the report, and Bloomberg Philanthropies for their long-standing support of Climate Mayors.

Respectfully,

Mayor Sylvester Turner City of Houston, TX Chair

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway City of Madison, WI Co-Chair

Mayor Kate Gallego City of Phoenix, AZ Co-Chair

Climate Mayors Letter to President Trump on Roll Back of U.S. Climate Actions

March 28, 2017

Dear President Trump,

As members of the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (MNCAA), we represent more than 42 million Americans in 75 cities across our nation — in red and blue states alike. We write to strongly object to your actions to roll back critically important U.S. climate policies including the Clean Power Plan and vehicle fuel efficiency standards, as well as proposed budget cuts to the EPA and critical federal programs like Energy Star.

Climate change is both the greatest single threat we face, and our greatest economic opportunity for our nation. That is why we affirm our cities’ commitments to taking every action possible to achieve the principles and goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, and to engage states, businesses and other sectors to join us.

As Mayors, we work with our constituents face-to-face, every day, and they demand that we act on climate to improve quality of life and create economic growth. As public servants and stewards of public funds and infrastructure, we also cannot ignore the costs of inaction.

That is why we are also standing up for our constituents and all Americans harmed by climate change, including those most vulnerable among us: coastal residents confronting erosion and sea level rise; young and old alike suffering from worsening air pollution and at risk during heatwaves; mountain residents engulfed by wildfires; farmers struggling at harvest time due to drought; and communities across our nation challenged by extreme weather.

Climate action is also an investment in our economy and job creation — electric vehicles, solar power, energy efficiency and battery storage are all avenues to restoring our nation’s manufacturing base and create good, middle class jobs. Recently, thirty MNCAA cities demonstrated how we can accelerate markets and drive economic growth by issuing a formal Request for Information for the potential acquisition of nearly 115,000 electric vehicles for our municipal fleets.

The private sector recognizes the opportunities of climate action as well. Goldman Sachs is committing $150 billion to clean energy capital. Companies like Microsoft, Wal-Mart, and Google are some of the largest purchasers of solar and renewable energy. Today, one in fifty American jobs is now in the solar sector, surpassing employment in oil, gas, and coal extraction combined. Texas is once again experiencing an energy boom — this time, with wind power. In fact, the majority of wind jobs in the U.S. are in congressional districts that voted for you.

As the “Climate Mayors,” we wrote to you during your transition asking that you work with cities on climate action – the nation’s first responders and economic hubs – and to embrace the Paris Climate Agreement commitment. Instead, we fear your Administration’s recent actions and today’s executive order will undermine America’s leadership on climate action, if not take us backwards.

We urge you to change course, and to join us. In the meantime, America’s cities will continue to lead the way in moving forward in protecting our residents from the disastrous effects of climate change, and creating a thriving 21st century economy.

Sincerely,

Mayor Eric Garcetti, City of Los Angeles, CA / Mayor Ed Murray, City of Seattle, WA / Mayor Lioneld Jordan, City of Fayetteville, AR / Mayor Kasim Reed, City of Atlanta, GA / Mayor Martin J Walsh, City of Boston, MA / Mayor Rahm Emanuel, City of Chicago, IL / Mayor Sylvester Turner, City of Houston, TX / Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City, NY / Mayor Jim Kenney, City of Philadelphia, PA / Mayor Ed Lee, City of San Francisco, CA / Mayor Sam Liccardo, City of San Jose, CA / Mayor Muriel Bowser, Washington, D.C. / Mayor Esther Manheimer, City of Asheville, NC / Mayor Steve Skadron, City of Aspen, CO / Mayor Steve Adler, City of Austin, TX / Mayor John Hamilton, City of Bloomington, IN / Mayor Suzanne Jones, City of Boulder, CO / Mayor Lori S Liu, City of Brisbane, CA / Mayor Miro Weinberger, City of Burlington, VT / Mayor Mary Casillas Salas, City of Chula Vista, CA / Mayor Stephen K Benjamin, City of Columbia, SC / Mayor Michael Hancock, City of Denver, CO / Mayor Roy D Buol, City of Dubuque, IA / Mayor William V Bell, City of Durham, NC / Mayor David Kaptain, City of Elgin, IL / Mayor Lucy Vinis, City of Eugene, OR / Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, City of Evanston, IL / Mayor Madeline Rogero, City of Knoxville, TN / Mayor Philip Levine, City of Miami Beach, FL / Mayor Tom Barrett, City of Milwaukee, WI / Mayor Mark Gamba, City of Milwaukie, OR / Mayor Betsy Hodges, City of Minneapolis, MN / Mayor John Hollar, City of Montpelier, VT / Mayor Dennis Coombs, City of Longmont, CO / Mayor Robert Garcia, City of Long Beach, CA / Mayor Jon Mitchell, City of New Bedford, MA / Mayor Mitch Landrieu, City of New Orleans, LA / Mayor Libby Schaaf, City of Oakland, CA / Mayor Buddy Dyer, City of Orlando, FL / Mayor Greg Scharff, City of Palo Alto, CA / Mayor Jack Thomas, Park City, UT / Mayor Bill Peduto, City of Pittsburgh, PA / Mayor Ted Wheeler, City of Portland, OR / Mayor Liz Lempert, Municipality of Princeton, NJ / Mayor Jorge Elorza, City of Providence, RI / Mayor Alan Galbraith, City of Saint Helena, CA / Mayor Jackie Biskupski, Salt Lake City, UT / Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter, City of San Leandro, CA / Mayor Ted Winterer, City of Santa Monica, CA / Mayor Joe Curtatone, City of Somerville, MA / Mayor Glenn Hendricks, City of Sunnyvale, CA / Mayor Marilyn Strickland, City of Tacoma, WA / Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, City of Tucson, AZ / Mayor Jeri Muoio, City of West Palm Beach, FL / Mayor Christopher Cabaldon, City of West Sacramento, CA / Mayor Allen Joines, City of Winston Salem, NC / Mayor Kathy Sheehan, City of Albany, NY

Updated signatories as of 2pm PT on May 31, 2017

If you would like to sign this open letter, or require further information about #ClimateMayors (the MNCAA) and its activities please email info@climate-mayors.org.