By Kevin McCarty
July 14, 2008

Conference Advisory Board Chair Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and Carmel (IN) Mayor James Brainard presided at the June 21 session of the Mayors Climate Protection Task Force, where presentations from colleagues and invited guests addressed several key issues before mayors working to further their climate protection efforts.

In his opening remarks, Nickels praised mayors for their continuing efforts to press forward on climate protection, with Brainard reviewing the key findings of a new mayoral survey on cities and their climate protection activities. Nickels and Brainard serve as co-chairs of the task force.

Among the speakers, University of Washington President Mark A. Emmert joined with the task force members to discuss how college and university presidents are tackling climate protection through the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), an effort that was prompted by the work of the nation’s mayors. "The University of Washington is a founding member of this effort and serves on the steering committee," he said of the initiative, whose goals and objectives are largely patterned after the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. In his remarks, Emmert underscored the importance of higher educational institutions to cities and local economies and how a stronger partnership between college and university presidents and the nation’s mayors will help advance local climate protection initiatives, noting efforts by the Conference of Mayors and ACUPCC to formalize such a partnership over the next several months.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin joined her colleagues to discuss the national debate on cap and trade legislation aimed at curbing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, reminding mayors that there are still key challenges before Congress in enacting new federal legislation in this area. Specifically, she explained that a new Congress and new Administration will have to resolve how emission allowances are provided to various sectors of the economy, explaining that a proposed resolution addressing this issue and others was before the Conference membership.

Apollo Alliance President Jerome Ringo briefed the task force on green jobs and ongoing efforts to make this a priority in the national debate on climate protection, applauding the mayors for their leadership. He outlined key steps mayors can take to advance green jobs initiatives in their communities, challenging the mayors "to build a broader coalition around good green jobs."

The task force members heard a presentation by Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez on the need to improve measurement tools to help cities keep track of their progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Chavez urged the mayors to keep refining local efforts to record reductions and that "you need to be vetting your number meticulously." He also encouraged his colleagues to review his city’s website on this subject. During discussion, Nickels indicated that "one of the roles of the federal government is to establish the standards for measurement." Chavez agreed, explaining, "We need to be at the table on this."

In his comments, Brainard summarized the initial findings of a 132-city survey, The Impact of Gas Prices, Economic Conditions, and Resource Constraints on Climate Protection Strategies in U.S. Cities, which was released during the Miami Annual Meeting, reminding mayors the report is available at the website usmayors.org and indicating that a full report will be released this summer.