By Conference Staff
September 14, 2009

A bipartisan coalition of mayors, lead by Conference of Mayors President Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and Conference Vice President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth E. Kautz, will return to Capitol Hill on September 15 to urge the Senate leaders to act on comprehensive energy and climate that includes a strong investment in local climate action by providing sustained funding to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program.

The September 15 Lobby Day event continue the efforts of the nation’s mayors to press Congress for action on energy and climate legislation, building upon the July 28 Lobby Day, when another bipartisan delegation of mayors convened on Capitol Hill to urge key Senators to press forward with energy and climate legislation that embraces local government action as a key element of a successful national climate protection strategy.

The Conference-led delegation of mayors will meet again with key Senate leaders, including Environment and Public Works Chairman Senator Barbara Boxer (CA), Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (MA), Foreign Relations Ranking Member Richard Lugar (IN), among others.

The timing of this second Lobby Day anticipates efforts by key Senate panels to craft elements of a Senate package that will come before the Senate later this year. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) has directed Senate committees to introduce their various climate initiatives before the end of September, with formal Committee immediately following introduction. This schedule is intended to support Reid’s plan to bring legislation before the full Senate later this year.

In addition to delegation meetings with key Senate leaders, participating mayors will be discussing these issues with their own Senators, making the case for Senate action on energy and climate legislation to clear the way for Congressional negotiations on a final package to send to the President during this Congress. In late June, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454), legislation that did not include a funding commitment to the EECBG program. This omission underscores why mayors are now pressing their Senators to include such provisions in that chamber’s version of the legislation so the issue of investing directly in local climate action will be fully considered and debated during House/Senate conference deliberations.

In recent weeks, Congressional efforts to move forward with comprehensive healthcare reform legislation has dominated the legislation agenda, allowing key Senate panels more time to develop their energy and climate initiatives. Once healthcare moves forward, the Senate is expected to shift its attention to climate legislation. Pressure to act on such legislation in the Senate is expected to build this fall in anticipation of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, which starts December 7 in Copenhagen.

Enactment of a comprehensive energy and climate strategy that includes funding for a strong and sustained funding commitment to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) is a top priority of the Conference of Mayors, a Conference-led initiative program which was authorized under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and funded at $3.2 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This program provides direct funding to larger cities and counties to support their local energy and climate initiatives, while directing other funds to the states to support such program efforts in smaller communities.