By Kevin McCarty
March 10, 2008

Key elements of the partnership between the Conference of Mayors and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) are now taking shape, with official announcements planned for later this spring, and continuing through the Conference’s June 20-23 Annual Meeting in Miami.

The Conference/CCI partnership, designed to support mayors’ progress on their climate protection goals, focuses two major initiatives: the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program will make it easier for cities to undertake energy efficiency improvements in municipal buildings; and the Purchasing Alliance will enable cities to acquire advanced energy efficient products and technologies in a more cost effective way. Both initiatives are designed to help mayors realize maximum benefits for their cities and increase the pace of energy efficiency improvements by cities to reduce global carbon emissions.

The Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program was developed by the Clinton Climate Initiative to support climate efforts by many of the world’s largest cities, known as the C40 Large Cities Climate Group. The first phase of the Conference/CCI partnership focuses on extending this program to all Conference-eligible cities. The Purchasing Alliance for emerging energy technologies will be fully underway later this year.

Since former President Bill Clinton and Conference President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer announced this partnership during the November 1-2, 2007 Mayors Climate Protection Summit in Seattle, both organizations are working to formulate user-friendly processes to support cities which choose to take advantage of this and future programs.

Conference Assembling Staff Liaisons to Support Partnership

Within the Conference, efforts are currently underway to assemble a database of staff liaisons who will serve as the lead contacts for program issues and updates pertaining to the Conference-CCI partnership.

In a February 11 mailing to mayors, Conference Executive Director and CEO Tom Cochran asked mayors to complete an electronic registration form to identify both city staff who will liaison with the Conference on this partnership, and other contacts on issues related to the startup of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. Throughout March and April, Conference mailings as well as direct contacts with Mayors’ offices will be made to assemble this information.

Bringing this program to scale to serve many more cities throughout the nation is a significant undertaking, and every effort is being made at the front-end to ensure that this partnership is responsive to potential participants.