Climate Mayors Statement in Support of Strong Auto Efficiency Standards

Climate Mayors responds to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s April 2, 2018 announcement of proposed weakening of corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards: 

As mayors representing 69 million Americans, across 47 states (and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico), with millions of vehicles on our roads, we strongly support the current federal standards on vehicle fuel efficiency and oppose the Trump Administration’s efforts to roll back this important policy.  Today’s announcement leaves the health of American families hanging in the balance while creating uncertainty in the automotive market. The standards adopted by the US EPA in 2011 are saving American drivers money at the gas pump, keeping the country competitive in a sector trending toward zero emissions innovation, and cleaning up the air we all breathe.

As mayors, we are bound by our common commitment to lead in the fight against climate change. Last year 30 Climate Mayors released a joint Electric Vehicle Request for Information (EV RFI) proving to car companies that if they build zero emissions vehicles, we will buy them. These first 30 cities put forward a combined 114,000 vehicles representing $10 billion in industry value. We want these vehicles because they save us money, offer new technologies and services, and protect local communities from harmful air pollution.

We will continue our efforts to hasten the transition to more efficient and zero emissions vehicles. We had long viewed the federal government as a partner on clean cars, but we won’t let it take us backwards.

Climate Mayors Submit Comments on Proposed Repeal of Clean Power Plan

244 U.S. Mayors from 48 states and territories, representing over 52 million Americans, strongly oppose EPA’s proposed repeal of Clean Power Plan

In a comment letter re-submitted today to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 244 mayors from 48 states and territories voice opposition to efforts by the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to dismantle the Clean Power Plan, as it would have devastating health and economic impacts on their communities, including exposing Americans to increased air pollution, worsening climate change, and more extreme weather events.  This comment letter was originally submitted to US EPA on February 20, 2018, with 233 signatories. Additional mayors wishing to add their support to this comment letter should email: info@climate-mayors.org to be included.

 March 27, 2018

By electronic mail (a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov) and first-class mail Administrator Scott Pruitt Environmental Protection Agency EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC) Mail Code 28221T Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-03551200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20460 Administrator Pruitt: As mayors from 244 U.S. cities, we submit this letter of comment to oppose the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan, Repeal of Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units. Collectively, we represent over 52 million residents, in 48 states & territories across the country. We strongly oppose the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan, which would put our citizens at risk and harm our efforts to address the urgent threat of climate change. Climate Change is Global but Impacts are Felt Locally Communities across the country are experiencing the effects of climate change today: sea level rise; hotter, longer, and more frequent heat waves; increased extreme weather; and many other harmful impacts. There is broad agreement that the future economic costs of climate change should not be overlooked. On our current path, the annual cost of coastal storm damage is expected to climb to as high as $35 billion by the 2030s; coastal property valued at $66 to $106 billion will likely be underwater by 2050. No one is insulated from the impacts of climate change – people in cities of all sizes, along with suburban and rural communities are all at risk. Residents of our communities have experienced harmful impacts of climate change such as dirtier air, increased heat-related illnesses and deaths, damaged and disappearing coastlines, longer droughts and other strains on water quantity and quality, and increasingly frequent and severe storms and wildfires. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential to protect our citizens against the worst impacts of climate change. A peer-reviewed study conducted by EPA projected stark differences between a world in the year 2100 where global warming averages 2 degrees Celsius—a goal for which the Clean Power Plan is critical—and one in which global warming averages 4 degrees Celsius: 57,000 fewer domestic deaths per year due to poor air quality; 12,000 fewer domestic deaths per year from extreme heat and cold in 49 U.S. cities; up to $6.4 billion in avoided annual adaptation costs from severe precipitation in 50 U.S. cities; $3.1 billion in avoided annual damages and adaptation costs from sea level rise and storm surge on the coasts; and up to $2.5 billion in avoided damages from inland flooding. Repealing the Clean Power Plan Would Slow Local Efforts to Address Climate Change. Not only are climate change impacts felt locally — our communities are also where climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts are being implemented. Urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country are reducing their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions by investing in energy efficiency, committing to the use of clean energy resources, and reducing reliance on fossil-fueled energy sources—efforts that protect against climate change, and also support clean air and a vibrant clean energy economy. But the legal authority of cities and other municipalities generally extends only as far as their state governments and federal law allow, and as a result, our local efforts to address climate change are highly sensitive to national policies like the Clean Power Plan, which shape markets, steer state action, and have large direct impacts on nationwide emissions. We would benefit from the support and certainty that a federal framework for reducing the power sector’s greenhouse gas emissions could provide. The Clean Power Plan, by providing such a framework, would enhance ongoing local efforts and enable new local initiatives to improve public health, increase air quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy innovation. We would like to reiterate a statement that more than 25 mayors delivered during the course of the Clean Power Plan development: “[W]e cannot act alone. We need the federal government to provide a path forward to making meaningful reductions in carbon pollution while preparing for the impacts of climate change.”As 244 mayors of communities across the U.S., representing over 52 million residents in 48 states & territories we strongly oppose the repeal of the Clean Power Plan, which would put our citizens at risk and undermine our efforts to prepare for and protect against the worst impacts of climate change.

Sincerely,

Mayor Peggy McQuaidAlbany, CAMayor Kathy SheehanAlbany, NYMayor Tim KellerAlbuquerque, NMMayor Ed PawlowskiAllentown PAMayor Gary GoosmanAmesville, OHMayor Sofia PereiraArcata, CAMayor Nancy KaboolianArdsley, NYMayor Esther ManheimerAsheville, NCMayor Steve SkadronAspen, COMayor Keisha Lance BottomsAtlanta, GAMayor Steve AdlerAustin, TXMayor Catherine E. PughBaltimore, MDMayor Kelli LinvilleBellingham, WAMayor Jesse ArreguinBerkeley, CAMayor Robert J. DonchezBethlehem, PAMayor Michael P. CahillBeverly, MAMayor Lili BosseBeverly Hills, CAMayor Randall WoodfinBirmingham, ALMayor Leslie Hager-SmithBlacksburg, VAMayor David H. BieterBoise, IDMayor Martin J. WalshBoston, MAMayor Suzanne JonesBoulder, COMayor Eric MamulaBreckenridge, COMayor Joseph P. GanimBridgeport, CTMayor W. Clarke ConwayBrisbane, CAMayor Brenda J. HessBuchanan, MIMayor Byron W. BrownBuffalo, NYMayor Miro WeinbergerBurlington, VTMayor Edwin García FelicianoCamuy, PRMayor Robert J. Moffatt, VMDCape May Point, NJMayor Jim BrainardCarmel, INMayor Lydia E. LavelleCarrboro, NCMayor Mike WebbCarver, MNMayor Pam HemmingerChapel Hill, NCMayor John TecklenburgCharleston, SCMayor Scott RogersCharles Town, WVMayor Andy BerkeChattanooga, TNMayor Chuck CahnCherry Hill, NJMayor Rahm EmanuelChicago, ILMayor Mary Casillas SalasChula Vista, CAMayor John CranleyCincinnati, OHMayor Ted TerryClarkston, GAMayor Frank G. JacksonCleveland, OHMayor Patrick WojahnCollege Park, MDMayor Brian TreeceColumbia, MOMayor Steve BenjaminColumbia, SCMayor Jeff KatzCooperstown, NYMayor Raul Valdes-FauliCoral Gables, FLMayor Carla CondonCorte Madera, CAMayor Brian TobinCortland, NYMayor Biff TraberCorvallis, ORMayor Mark LandmanCotati, CAMayor Roger W. FosterCrete, NEMayor Darcy PaulCupertino, CAMayor Mike RawlingsDallas, TXMayor Juslyn ManaloDaly City, CAMayor Robb DavisDavis, CAMayor Cary GlicksteinDelray Beach, FLMayor Michael B. HancockDenver, COMayor Josh MaxwellDowningtown, PAMayor David HaubertDublin, CAMayor Roy D. BuolDubuque, IAMayor Emily LarsonDuluth, MNMayor Stephen M. SchewelDurham, NCMayor Brad CohenEast Brunswick Township, NJMayor Mark S. MeadowsEast Lansing, MIMayor Nancy Tyra-LukensEden Prairie, MNMayor James HovlandEdina, MNMayor Dave EarlingEdmonds, WAMayor David KaptainElgin, ILMayor John J. BautersEmeryville, CAMayor Lucy VinisEugene, ORMayor Stephen H. HagertyEvanston, ILMayor Karl W. KasselFairbanks North Star Borough, AKMayor Ed MalloyFairfield, IAMayor Peter LindstromFalcon Heights, MNMayor David TarterFalls Church, VAMayor Colleen MahrFanwood, NJMayor Lioneld JordanFayetteville, ARMayor David CoulterFerndale, MIMayor Lindy PetersFort Bragg, CAMayor Wade TroxellFort Collins, CO

Mayor John P. “Jack” SeilerFort Lauderdale, FLMayor Thomas C. HenryFort Wayne, INMayor Bob ScottFranklin, NCMayor Lily MeiFremont, CAMayor Gary WilkinsonFrisco, COMayor Lauren B. PoeGainesville, FLMayor J Kachen KimmellGambier, OhioMayor Karen Freeman-WilsonGary, INMayor Tammy StempelGladstone, ORMayor Bruce J PackerGlen Rock, NJMayor Marjorie SloanGolden, COMayor Paula PerotteGoleta, CAMayor Rosalynn BlissGrand Rapids, MIMayor Emmett V. JordanGreenbelt, MDMayor Peter SwiderskiHastings-on-Hudson, NYMayor Harry KimCounty of Hawai’i, HIMayor Barbara HallidayHayward, CAMayor Nancy RoteringHighland Park, ILMayor Gayle Brill MittlerHighland Park, NJMayor Ravinder S. BhallaHoboken, NJMayor Josh LevyHollywood, FLMayor Alex MorseHolyoke, MAMayor Kirk CaldwellHonolulu, HIMayor Paul BlackburnHood River, ORMayor Sylvester TurnerHouston, TXMayor Candace B. HollingsworthHyattsville, MDMayor Serge DedinaImperial Beach, CAMayor Jim ThrogmortonIowa City, IAMayor Svante MyrickIthaca, NYMayor Pete MuldoonJackson, WYMayor Sly JamesKansas City, MOMayor Bernard P. Carvalho JrKauai, HIMayor John AntaramianKenosha, WIMayor Steve NobleKingston, NYMayor Madeline RogeroKnoxville, TNMayor Tim KabatLa Crosse, WIMayor Christine BergLafayette, COMayor Robert BlaisLake George Village, NYMayor Adam PaulLakewood, COMayor Danene SoraceLancaster, PAMayor William J SpragueLapeer, MIMayor Ken MiyagishimaLas Cruces NMMayor Craig A. MoeLaurel, MDMayor Stuart BoleyLawrence, KSMayor Theodore BeckerLewes, DEMayor Robert GarciaLong Beach, CAMayor Adam SchneiderLong Branch, NJMayor Eric GarcettiLos Angeles, CAMayor Greg FischerLouisville, KYMayor Paul SoglinMadison, WIMayor Joyce CraigManchester, NHMayor Amy HoworthManhattan Beach, CAMayor Barry J. GreenbergMaplewood, MOMayor Alan M. ArakawaMaui, HIMayor Stephanie M. BurkeMedford, MAMayor Jim StricklandMemphis, TNMayor Dan GelberMiami Beach, FLMayor Gurdip Brar, Ph.D.Middleton, WIMayor Daniel T. DrewMiddletown, CTMayor Sean StrubMilford, PAMayor Jeff SilvestriniMillcreek, UTMayor Tom BarrettMilwaukee, WIMayor Jacob FreyMinneapolis, MNMayor John EngenMissoula, MTMayor Mary O’ConnorMonona, WIMayor Jamie IronsMorro Bay, CAMayor Arlene BurnsMosier, ORMayor Lenny SiegelMountain View, CAMayor Frederick T. CourtrightMount Pocono, PAMayor Jill TechelNapa, CAMayor Megan BarryNashville, TNMayor Kristopher LarsenNederland, COMayor Jon MitchellNew Bedford, MAMayor Donna D. HoladayNewburyport, MAMayor Toni N. HarpNew Haven, CTMayor Mitchell J. LandrieuNew Orleans, LATown Supervisor Neil BettezNew Paltz, NYMayor Bill de BlasioNew York City, NYMayor Paul A. DysterNiagara Falls, NYMayor Lynne MillerNorman, OKMayor David J. NarkewiczNorthampton, MAMayor Smith Joseph D.O., Pharm.D.North Miami, FL  

Mayor Don HammondNyack, New YorkMayor Libby SchaafOakland, CAMayor Johnny JohnstonOjai, CAMayor Cheryl SelbyOlympia, WAMayor Buddy DyerOrlando, FLMayor Victoria GearityOssining, NYMayor Andy BeermanPark City, UTMayor Donald R. GrebienPawtucket, RIMayor Frank C. OrtisPembroke Pines, FLMayor Jim KenneyPhiladelphia, PAMayor Cindy PerryPittsboro, NCMayor Jeremy JohnsonPittsburg, KSMayor William PedutoPittsburgh, PAMayor Kurt R. MetzgerPleasant Ridge, MIMayor Ethan StrimlingPortland, MEMayor Ted WheelerPortland, ORMayor Deborah StinsonPort Townsend, WAMayor Jorge O. ElorzaProvidence, RIMayor Paul KuhnsRehoboth Beach, DEMayor Hillary SchieveReno, NVMayor Tom ButtRichmond, CAMayor Levar M. StoneyRichmond, VAMayor Lovely WarrenRochester, NYMayor Darrell SteinbergSacramento, CAMayor Jacob DaySalisbury, MDMayor Jackie BiskupskiSalt Lake City, UT

Mayor Ron NirenbergSan Antonio, TXMayor Kevin FaulconerSan Diego, CAMayor Mark FarrellSan Francisco, CAMayor Sam LiccardoSan José, CAMayor Pauline Russo CutterSan Leandro, CAMayor Heidi HarmonSan Luis Obispo, CAMayor Rick BonillaSan Mateo, CAMayor David J. TerrazasSanta Cruz, CAMayor Javier M. GonzalesSanta Fe, NMMayor Ted WintererSanta Monica, CAMayor Shelli Freeland EddieSarasota, FLMayor Chris LainSavanna, ILMayor Jenny DurkanSeattle, WAMayor Michael GonnelliSecaucus, NJMayor George Van DusenSkokie, ILMayor Ken WraySleepy Hollow, NYMayor Scott SaundersSmithville, TXMayor Matthew R. LarsonSnoqualmie, WAMayor Jeffrey SlavinSomerset, MDMayor Dana S. HilliardSomersworth, NHMayor Joseph A. CurtatoneSomerville, MAMayor Pete ButtigiegSouth Bend, INMayor Philip StoddardSouth Miami, FLMayor Sheena C. CollumSouth Orange Village, NJMayor Domenic J. SarnoSpringfield, MAMayor David MartinStamford, CTMayor Donald M. HahnState College, PAMayor Lyda KrewsonSt. Louis, MOMayor Michael TubbsStockton, CAMayor Melvin CarterSt. Paul, MNMayor Glenn HendricksSunnyvale, CAMayor Daniel DietchSurfside, FLMayor Tim KearneySwarthmore, PAMayor Thomas FrommSwedesboro, NJMayor Kate StewartTakoma Park, MDMayor Drew FixellTarrytown, NYMayor Sean MurphyTelluride, COMayor Jim CarruthersTraverse City, MIMayor Jonathan RothschildTucson, AZMayor Brian P. StackUnion City, NJMayor Shelley WelschUniversity City, MOMayor Dave ChapinVail, COMayor Kevin J. RyanVerona, NJMayor Muriel BowserWashington, DCMayor Lowell HurstWatsonville, CAMayor John HeilmanWest Hollywood, CAMayor John DennisWest Lafayette, INMayor Daniel J. StermerWeston, FLMayor Jeri MuoioWest Palm Beach, FLMayor Christopher CabaldonWest Sacramento, CAMayor Daniel CoronaWest Wendover, NVMayor Bud StarkerWheat Ridge, COMayor Thomas RoachWhite Plains, NYMayor Mike SpanoYonkers, NYMayor Amanda Marie EdmondsYpsilanti, MI

The comment letter was originally released on February 20, 2018 (5:00am PST) with 233 signatories. Updated signatories as of 11:00 am PST on March 27, 2018. Mayors wishing to add their support to this comment letter should email: info@climate-mayors.org before the closing of the EPA Comment Period on April 26, 2018.

Mayor Garcetti leads ‘Climate Mayors’ to oppose U.S. withdrawal from Paris Agreement

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Eric Garcetti today led a coalition of mayors across the United States in denouncing President Trump’s decision to walk away from the Paris Climate Agreement.

“Climate change is a fact of life that people in Los Angeles and cities around the world live with every day. It is a grave threat to our health, our environment, and our economy — and it is not debatable or negotiable,” said Mayor Garcetti. “This is an urgent challenge, and it’s much bigger than one person. With the President pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, L.A. will lead by committing to the goals of the accord — and will work closely with cities across America and the world to do the same.”

On Wednesday, Mayor Garcetti worked with Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin to have a City Council motion introduced instructing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and other City Departments, to adopt the principles of the Paris Climate Agreement as the policy of the City of Los Angeles. Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Paul Koretz and Paul Krekorian joined in the motion.

The Mayor is a co-founder of the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (“Climate Mayors”), which today issued the following statement signed by Mayor Garcetti and 60 other mayors of cities from coast to coast:

“The President’s denial of global warming is getting a cold reception from America’s cities. As 61 Mayors representing 36 million Americans, we will adopt, honor, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement. We will intensify efforts to meet each of our cities’ current climate goals, push for new action to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, and work together to create the 21st century clean energy economy. We will continue to lead. We are increasing investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. We will buy and create more demand for electric cars and trucks. We will increase our efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, create a clean energy economy, and stand for environmental justice. And if the President wants to break the promises made to our allies enshrined in the historic Paris Agreement, we’ll build and strengthen relationships around the world to protect the planet from devastating climate risks. The world cannot wait — and neither will we.”

Mayor Garcetti is the co-founder of the Climate Mayors (also known as the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, or MNCAA), a network of 88 U.S. cities representing more than 43 million Americans — working together to strengthen local efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting efforts for binding federal and global-level policymaking. Earlier this year, Mayor Garcetti led the release of an EV RFI with 30 MNCAA cities to demonstrate potential demand for over 114,000 electric vehicles, trucks, and equipment for cities. Mayor Garcetti is also Vice Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, an international network of the world's megacities taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and he has signed the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.

In March, the Mayor released the second annual progress report on his Sustainable City pLAn, which sets Los Angeles’ greenhouse gas emission reduction targets at 45% below 1990 levels by 2025, 65% by 2035, and 80% by 2050. Of the pLAn’s 2017 goals, over 90 percent are on track to be completed this year.

• Creating more than 20,000 green jobs while reducing the gap between the City and County’s unemployment rates, demonstrating that sustainability and prosperity go hand-in-hand.

• Achieving a record 20 percent reduction in water use per capita, making L.A. the most water efficient big city in America — since 2014, L.A. has reduced enough water to fill over 90,000 Olympic swimming pools.

• Installing enough solar in the last year to power over 12,000 homes, and leading American cities with more than 230MW of total installed solar power.

• Adopting the most ambitious and comprehensive energy and water efficiency law for existing buildings of any U.S. city.

• More than 80 percent of all City fleet procurements in the current budget year are electric vehicles — far exceeding the 2017 target of 50 percent, and giving L.A. the nation’s largest pure battery electric vehicle municipal fleet, as well as the largest electric vehicle police fleet.