By Judy Sheahan
September 28, 2009

A bipartisan delegation of mayors, led by Conference of Mayors President Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and Conference Vice President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz, blitzed Capitol Hill on September 15, meeting with key Senator leadership along with their own Senators, urging them to pass comprehensive climate change legislation that includes the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. The mayors met with Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer (CA), Foreign Relations Chair John Kerry (MA), Foreign Relations Ranking Member Richard Lugar (IN), Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI), and Senator Mark Begich (AK).

“Because of the leadership that mayors have shown and the grass roots action that we have taken, we are an important partner,” Nickels said. “Seventy-five percent of the GNP occurs in the 100 largest metro areas and most of the fossil fuels are burned in our cities to create that economy and so if you are going to actually reduce emissions, reduce our dependency on foreign oil, you are going to have to work in the cities; work with us as partners and put some funding in our communities to show people that they can take individual action to reduce their own carbon emissions.”

This is the second time that mayors have come to DC since the Providence Annual meeting to push for climate change and energy block grant legislation. At the first lobby day, held July 28, Boxer asked the mayors to come back to DC to help pass comprehensive climate change legislation. Boxer told the mayors, “Your help is enormously important. Don’t take anyone for granted. If you want a bill, you need to work hard.” She also acknowledged the key role that local governments play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. She asked the mayors to talk to their Senators about the work they were doing in their cities and what a climate change bill could do to not only to protect the environment but how it could stimulate the economy with new, green jobs.

Joining Nickels and Kautz were Carmel (IN) Mayor James Brainard, Carbondale (IL) Mayor Brad Cole, Des Moines (IA) Mayor Frank Cownie, Bridgeport (CT) Mayor Bill Finch, Kansas City (MO) Mayor Mark Funkhouser, North Little Rock (AR) Mayor Patrick Henry Hays, Columbia (MO) Mayor Darwin Hindman, Lauderhill (FL) Mayor Richard Kaplan, Chattanooga (TN) Mayor Ron Littlefield, Pembroke Pines (FL) Mayor Frank Ortis, Citrus Heights (CA) Mayor James Shelby, Schenectady (NY) Mayor Brian Stratton, and Westland (MI) Mayor William Wild.

Kerry told the mayors that he was embarrassed that Congress was trying to “catch up” to the tremendous work that the mayors were already doing on climate change and that the idea of a block grant to support local efforts “made sense.”

Lugar, who signed onto a “Dear Colleague” letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking for additional funding for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, was very supportive of the idea of the block grant and the role it could play reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “The work you are doing is part of a national strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Lugar said. “You should emphasize what you are doing and the measurements (reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions) that result.”

Originally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) wanted all of the portions of the climate change bill completed by the end of September. However, due to the extended discussion regarding health care, the debate on climate change has been delayed. Kerry and Boxer are expected to release their portion of the climate change bill sometime before the end of this month with markup in early October. It is not yet clear if Reid will try to move the climate bill before or after the United Nation’s meeting in December in Copenhagen where the focus of the discussion will be worldwide goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Lincoln (NE) Mayor Chris Beutler and Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell also paid recent visits to their Congressional delegation and urged their support of the EECBG program. Nickels is urging all mayors to contact their Congressional delegations to support climate change legislation that includes the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.