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