By Kevin McCarty
February 2, 2009

Former President William Jefferson Clinton shared his perspectives on political trends and economic, energy and climate challenges in remarks January 19 during the Conference of Mayors 77th Winter Meeting. He told the nation's mayors, "We should not give up on our campaign to become energy independent and fight climate change just because coal is lower and oil is lower. They're still burning up the planet."

Energy and climate were among the themes in Clinton's assessment of the current economic challenges before the nation, as well as his assessment of the changing political landscape over the last four decades.

Clinton spoke at length about the nation's economy and needed actions to restore confidence in the lending and the banking system. "We are suffering the biggest contractatory crises since the Great Depression, precipitated by breathtakingly declining asset values," he said.

Citing the necessity for Congressional action on a strong economic recovery package, he also explained that other actions now being taken by the new Obama Administration and Congress are also needed to stabilize the decline in asset values to work in tandem with the economic recovery package. "I believe no amount of government spending can take us out of this unless we stop the declining asset base. We have to get a floor under asset prices if you want to get the banks lending again," he said.

Challenging the mayors to use economic recovery funds as effectively as possible, Clinton said, "If we are really smart about it, and you are really smart about it, you can take these recovery funds and generate the maximum number of jobs today and generate the maximum contribution to America's health and prosperity tomorrow." Addressing the important role mayors must play in the national economy, he said, "You will shortly become one of the most important actors in this first phase of America's economic recovery."

During his remarks on energy and climate issues, Clinton reminded mayors of the enormous potential to use cost savings from lower energy costs resulting from energy building retrofits as the source of financing, urging mayors to take advantage of the Conference's partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) program oon government building retrofit.

Clinton touted the success CCI was having in partnering with the city of Houston to retrofit 11 million square feet of city buildings. "I have been really inspired by many of the things we have done in cities," he said.

Pointing to the economic stimulus and job creation potential of such investment, Clinton said, "For every one billion dollars invested in building retrofits, it will create six times as many jobs as a coal-fired power plant. One billion spent on wind energy will create four times as many jobs, and a billion spent on solar energy will create two and one-half times as many jobs."

"Under any set of circumstances, as I said to Mayor Diaz when he kindly invited me to Miami, that if you do the financing right, the building retrofits and the closing of the landfills to use the organic material in the landfills as fertilizer, biofuels or biomass electricity, either for a power company or industrial cogeneration, that is always going to be economical if you do the financing right," he said.

Clinton also challenged the mayors to move more aggressively in addressing the landfilling of wastes and organic materials. "We ought to close every landfill in America and use the organic material to make clean energy, stop methane emissions and protect public health."

In introducing the former President to the mayors, Conference President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz said, "Every step of the way, he has been encouraging us, collaborating with us, challenging us, and supporting us in our climate work, especially the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Diaz added, "He entered the White House as a governor but left office as a mayor."