“EPA has a responsibility to work alongside local leaders to protect Americans’ health, not eliminate the safeguards that protect families from deadly toxins,” said Climate Mayors Executive Director Kate Wright.
For communities near fossil fuel infrastructure or already coping with extreme weather, fewer safeguards mean greater risks over time, even if utilities gain short-term flexibility.
Climate Mayors issued the following statement in response to the EPA’s repeal of its 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants, who also issued a supplemental proposal to strip its own authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector.
Mayor Shenise Turner-Sloss: “As federal energy regulators convene stakeholders to try to hammer out an agreement on PJM governance reforms, there can be no mistake about one change we must see: making the grid operator start serving the public interest.”
Climate Mayors Unscripted: Climate Conversations with Mayors is your front-row seat to the trailblazers tackling climate change in America’s cities.
Hosted by Climate Mayors Chair, Lauren McLean, this dynamic podcast series brings together mayors from across the nation for candid, 30-minute conversations that go beyond the headlines. Each episode uncovers bold, practical climate solutions that are transforming communities—highlighting the creativity, grit, and collaboration powering real change.
The slow moving climate talks are struggling to address one of the world’s biggest drivers of rising energy demand.
“I would like to see the issue around data centers elevated in the international arena,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, the outgoing chair of Climate Mayors, an association of 350 climate-forward city leaders. “The U.N. talks are also a really important way to bring together global countries, but in the short term, I suspect other venues will be more impactful.”
WASHINGTON, DC.—“Cities across the country are relieved that Congress avoided a shutdown and kept transportation programs running through the extension of the Surface Transportation Bill, but this short‑term fix still leaves a serious gap by letting funding for several key infrastructure programs lapse in what amounts to roughly a 25 percent cut in the investments that keep people moving safely and affordably,” said Climate Mayors Executive Director Kate Wright.
Utility bills are now the fastest driver of inflation, and over 80 million Americans are struggling to pay their bills.
This Climate Mayors resource examines how the Westchester Municipal Consortium pooled their resources resulting in a significant reduction in electricity and gas prices and secured additional reliability, transparency and zero-emissions grid commitments from Con Edison. Direct engagement can shift the outcome of utility regulatory proceedings.
With nearly 3,000 new data centers under construction or planned in the U.S., these issue briefs show key actions that mayors and cities can take to set clear expectations around air quality, electricity and water, particularly in communities already facing environmental burdens. These guides include case studies from local governments who have implemented policies in these key areas.
Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson spoke alongside public officials and researchers about how cities and states are responding to extreme weather.
Climate Mayors new social media ‘Playbook’ is a best-in-class resource to help mayors communicate clearly with confidence and creativity.
Today’s residents aren’t waiting for press releases or official statements: they’re turning to Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to understand how the climate is shaping their lives. The Playbook makes use of platform-native storytelling to equip mayors with the tools to thrive in this influencer-led, social media moment.
Climate Mayors is a bipartisan network of over 350 mayors, demonstrating climate leadership through meaningful actions in their communities since 2014. Representing 47 states and over 70 million Americans, Climate Mayors reflects U.S. cities’ commitment to climate progress.
