By Evangelina Garcia
February 11, 2008

During a dinner event at the historic National Building Museum in the nation’s capital January 23, The U.S. Conference of Mayors presented the prestigious President’s Award for Global Climate Protection to New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. The award was first established to recognize a mayor for leadership on issues that are national in scope.

Bloomberg was specifically selected to receive the award due to his leadership on the international priority of climate protection.

“Tonight, we are honoring a mayor who — in addition to strong national leadership — has provided international leadership. Running America’s largest city is no easy job at any point in history. But taking over a city months after the September 11 attacks was a task of Herculean proportions,” said Conference President Trenton (NJ) Mayor Douglas H. Palmer during remarks at the awards ceremony.

Palmer also added that Bloomberg’s leadership extends well beyond his influence on U.S. mayors and climate protection efforts. His plan for New York City sets a new standard for action by cities throughout the world — a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. With its 127 separate initiatives, “PLANYC” strives to make New York City among the world’s most sustainable cities.

“Importantly, he is showing us the path beyond Kyoto, as mayors throughout the world work to do their part to achieve worldwide carbon reductions goals by 2050,” added Palmer as he presented the award to Bloomberg.

In recognition of his role as a global leader, Bloomberg was also chosen to address world leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali in 2007, where he spoke to delegates on the role of cities and local governments in climate protection.

According to Bloomberg, under his climate protection plan, electricity costs in government buildings will be cut by 30 percent over ten years and his fleet of New York City taxi cabs will be turned into hybrids, which will reduce their CO2 emissions by 50 percent. Those hybrids are allowing each cab driver to save about $5,000 a year in gas costs.

“Innovative environmental policies also make good economic sense and — these days — we could use a lot more good sense when it comes to how we approach our economy,” stated Bloomberg before an audience of over 700 mayors and business leaders.

Aside from discussing his environmental priorities, Bloomberg also covered a broad-range of bread and butter issues that are facing America today, and where he believes leaders in Washington have turned a blind eye. Among others, he discussed the mortgage crisis, the rapidly rising oil prices, and the power of special interests over political action.

“We all know that spending decisions in Washington are driven by whatever will attract votes and campaign cash. You can see it in the farm bill: ten percent of farms — the large agribusinesses, captured 75 percent of the benefits, while the small family farmer got a few crumbs. You can see it in the energy bill, which was also a gift to agribusiness and the rest of us are paying higher food prices as a result. And you can see it in the response to New Orleans, banks got their mortgages covered, but people still lost their homes,” said Bloomberg.

When it comes to the rampant mortgage foreclosure rates in American cities, Bloomberg offered strong words of wisdom, especially given his experience as a top business leader in America.

“The most important and immediate economic relief we can offer is to help people who are in danger of losing their homes stay in their homes. What good is a rebate going to do for a family who’s about to lose their home? As a businessman who believes in the self-correcting nature of markets, I don’t think we should bail anyone out — the industry or the speculators. But it’s short'sighted to allow whole neighborhoods to fall victim to this, because when neighborhoods empty out, crime and drugs and violence rush in.

The mayor added that a combination of financial counseling to home owners coupled with working with lenders to ensure fairness will be necessary to correct the crisis. “In some cases that will mean financial counseling. In others it will mean ensuring that lenders make good on their promises to modify loans and make them affordable. And in some cases, it may also mean offering families trapped in bad mortgages a subsidized loan before their interest rates shoot up,” said Bloomberg.

As another way to help our struggling economy while correcting the problem of crumbling infrastructure in some cities, Bloomberg weighed in on the need for federal support in this area. “Second, I believe — and I know a lot of mayors agree — that the best way to pump money into the economy in the short-term and get something out of it in the long-term is to finance immediate infrastructure projects that cities and states can’t afford. I’m sure all of us have a list a mile long — bridges and roads and mass transit systems that need repair. Why not put people to work on these projects right now? Remember, the public works of the New Deal didn’t just create jobs. They built a foundation that allowed America to experience unprecedented growth in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s,” Bloomberg added.

Prior to concluding his remarks and as a mayor that represents one of the most ethnically diverse cities in America, Bloomberg emphasized the need and current lack of immigration reform in our nation. “We could strengthen our economy — today — if Congress would pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Illegal immigration has become the pandering politician’s best friend. But here’s the reality: we all know that the federal government has failed to secure the borders and failed to give businesses the tools they need to deal with the issue. But at the same time, we have to stop turning away people that our economy needs. Not only unskilled laborers, but also scientists, doctors, engineers, and innovators of every kind. They are going to invest in America and open businesses and pay taxes and create millions of jobs. The only question, once again, is whether we allow those jobs to be created here, or whether we continue sending them elsewhere,” Bloomberg concluded.

And with just a few weeks short of the 2008 Super Bowl XLII, Bloomberg ended his speech with, “Go Giants!”