By Debra DeHaney-Howard
May 7, 2007

Conference President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer told more than 75 Chief Executive Officers of the nation’s largest real estate, banking and insurance firms who gathered in Washington (DC) April 26 for the Real Estate Roundtable’s Policy Dialogue on Energy Independence and Green Buildings, that the nation’s mayors have made energy independence and climate change a top priority. He added that the mayors are working to move federal legislation supporting climate change to the forefront of the national agenda. At the session, Palmer joined with other national leaders for a discussion on key challenges before the development community in addressing energy efficiency and climate concerns.

“Mayors have been on the forefront of promoting energy efficiency, which reflects our strong desire to become more energy independent. We are leading in ways that help our cities and push the nation to get the right path to greater energy independence and focus on climate protection. Mayors have built support in our communities—including our strong linkage to business leaders,” said Palmer.

In discussing the needs for a national energy strategy, Palmer said, “Cities are on the frontlines of climate change with mayors leading the way. But we can’t do it alone. We need the federal government to be a real partner with us on the issue of climate protection and achieving energy independence. We must have a ‘bottoms-up’ community approach that complements top-down strategies of tougher energy efficiency standards and other necessary actions at the federal level and that an Energy and Environment Block Grant program is a key element of any successful national, comprehensive energy efficiency strategy.”

The Conference has made enactment of an energy block grant program, largely modeled after HUD’s successful Community Development Block Grant program, a top priority in the Mayors 10-Point Plan: Strong Cities, Strong Families, for a Strong America. The block grant would provide funding to cities, counties and states for programs that increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases.

Palmer reported on the Conference of Mayors’ work on climate protection, noting the recently established Conference of Mayors Center on Climate Protection. He stated that one of the immediate goals of the Center is to enroll mayors as signatories to the Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which has attracted nearly 500 mayors. These mayors have pledged to take action in their cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

Palmer also highlighted a number of activities that mayors have implemented to promote energy efficiency, including, increasing the use of alternative fuel in city fleets, switching traffic signals to light-emitting diode (LED), purchasing and producing renewable energy, and examining building codes. Palmer said, “Mayors, building owners, managers and others have been working tirelessly to make new building more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable and this is an area where we can work together to facilitate improvements to existing building structures. The Conference of Mayors has also adopted a policy that requires all new buildings to be carbon neutral by 2030.”

Earlier in the session, U. S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) addressed participants on a number of issues before Congress, including energy, global warming, tax reform, and homeland security.