ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

IMPROVING CLEAN AIR IN COMMUNITIES

WHEREAS, Mayors believe that clean air improvements are needed to ensure healthier and more prosperous cities and regions; and

WHEREAS, clean air and economic prosperity significantly contribute to the public health of cities; and

WHEREAS, in most cities, one-third to more than one-half of their air pollution originates from mobile sources, including cars, sports utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks and buses; and

WHEREAS, the traditional command and control approach of reducing emissions from large sources has improved our air but further gains are needed in the area of mobile source; and

WHEREAS, local development patterns can influence mobile source emissions, by taking actions to encourage housing and commercial development in existing urbanized areas where access to public transportation and other services and amenities can help reduce auto trips and thereby lower air emissions; and

WHEREAS, existing policies needs to be updated so that future growth and development can occur in the nation's more urbanized areas, particularly larger metropolitan areas, recognizing that while overall emissions may increase in the short term, per capita emissions will be declining over the longer term; and

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors strongly encourages the federal government, particularly U.S. EPA and U.S. DOT, in cooperation with state and local governments, to establish a comprehensive policy that integrates clean air and economic development objectives, particularly emphasizing regulatory incentives to promote in-fill development, brownfields reuse, transit use, transit-oriented development, and alternative transportation modes and reward other measures to encourage development in existing communities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED , that the Conference commends U.S. EPA for issuing the Land Use SIP guidance policy as an initial element of such a comprehensive policy and calls upon the Agency to actively promote the use of this policy among the states; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference calls attention to U.S. EPA's recent work that demonstrates the clean air benefits of developing on in-fill and/or brownfields sites, as opposed to greenfield development, and urges the Agency to build upon these findings by expanding these efforts to include transit-oriented development and other alternative transportation strategies; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges U.S. EPA, based on this information, to adopt new policies and take other actions that reward local initiatives that improve air quality, such as by issuing directives to federal and state agencies to grant "air credits" for area and mobile source reduction or by establishing a program that promotes inter-sector trading as a way to advance clean air and economic development simultaneously; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors strongly encourages the Federal government, and the states in their use of federal resources, to focus more resources on investments that improve air quality, such as public transportation, bike and pedestrian facilities, alternative fuel vehicles/fueling stations, brownfields redevelopment and transit-oriented development; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED , that the U.S. Conference of Mayors seeks mechanisms and assistance from the Federal government that will allow Mayors to protect both the health of their citizens and the economic viability of their communities.