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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 01/03/2017 - RESOLUTION 2017-005 EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE MAYAgenda Item 12 Item # 12 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY January 3, 2017 City Council STAFF Lindsay Ex, Environmental Program Manager Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager Jackie Kozak-Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer Lucinda Smith, Environmental Sustainability Director SUBJECT Resolution 2017-005 Expressing Support for the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda's Open Letter to President-Elect Donald Trump on Climate Action. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to consider a resolution endorsing and supporting the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (MNCAA) open letter to President-elect Donald Trump on climate action. STAFF RECOMMENDATION None. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The City joined the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (MNCAA) in 2015, as the City has climate action goals, is committed to reporting our progress, and is committed to sharing lessons learned with other U.S. cities. At the December 20, 2016 Council Meeting under Other Business, Council directed staff to develop a resolution to consider joining 48 U.S. Mayors associated with MNCAA, including Denver, Boulder, Aspen, Palo Alto, and Kansas City, in signing an open letter to President-elect Trump (Exhibit A to Resolution 2017-005). The purpose of the letter is to request the President-elect’s administration to support local initiatives; help cities leverage their investments in transit and energy infrastructure; support the transition to a clean energy future; continue federal tax credits; and embrace the Paris Climate Agreement. How Other Communities Approached Signing the Letter Councilmembers asked staff to research what process was used by other MNCAA communities to join in and/or to obtain their Mayor’s signature. Staff sent a survey to the 48 communities with the following results:  14 of the 48 cities responded to the survey.  Of these 14 cities, none had taken the signing of the letter to their Councils for a vote.  4 of the 14 cities are Council-Manager form of government. -1- RESOLUTION 2017-005 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE MAYORS NATIONAL CLIMATE ACTION AGENDA’S OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP ON CLIMATE ACTION WHEREAS, in 2015, City Council adopted several of the most aspirational greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals in the world in its 2015 Climate Action Plan Framework: 20% reductions by 2020 and 80% reductions by 2030 compared to 2005 emissions levels, and carbon neutrality by 2050; and WHEREAS, on November 22, 2016, a group of U.S. Mayors associated with the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (“MNCAA”), of which the City is a member, wrote an open letter to President-elect Donald Trump on Climate Action (the "MNCAA Letter") calling upon him to provide funding for transit- and energy-related infrastructure improvements, to continue offering tax credits for electric vehicles, renewables, and other clean technologies, and to embrace the Paris Climate Agreement; and WHEREAS, the funding and tax credits called for by the MNCAA Letter would help the City of Fort Collins meet its 2020, 2030, and 2050 climate goals; and WHEREAS, the mayors of 48 cities have endorsed the MNCAA Letter to date, including those of Denver, Boulder, Longmont, and Aspen, and MNCAA welcomes mayors of additional cities to endorse their Letter, and WHEREAS, the City Council desires to endorse the MNCAA Letter. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. Section 2. That the City Council endorses and supports the MNCAA Letter. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 3rd day of January, A.D. 2017. _________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk 11/30/2016 Open Letter from U.S. #ClimateMayors to President-elect Donald TrumponTacklingClimateCrisis – Medium https://medium.com/@ClimateMayors/open-letter-to-president-elect-donald-trump-on-climate-policy-and-action-33e10dcdcf85#.yar87y8yl 1/7 Climate Mayors American mayors working together to strengthen local efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and su… Nov 22 · 5 min read Follow November 22, 2016 Dear President-elect Trump, As Mayors, we have taken it upon ourselves to take bold action within our cities to tackle the climate crisis head-on. We write today to ask for your partnership in our work to clean our air, strengthen our economy, and ensure that our children inherit a nation healthier and better prepared for the future than it is today. We lead 39 small and large American cities, comprising nearly 31 million Americans in both blue and red states. We have joined together in the U.S. Mayors’ National Climate Action Agenda (MNCAA), or the #ClimateMayors, in addressing the greatest challenge of our time, climate change. Each of our cities is committing to ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, set climate action, regularly report on our progress, share lessons and hold each other accountable. Around the globe, cities are working together through organizations like C40 as well. EXHIBIT A 11/30/2016 Open Letter from U.S. #ClimateMayors to President-elect Donald Trump on Tackling Climate Crisis – Medium https://medium.com/@ClimateMayors/open-letter-to-president-elect-donald-trump-on-climate-policy-and-action-33e10dcdcf85#.yar87y8yl 2/7 The eﬀects of climate change — extreme storms, wildﬁres and drought; sea level rise and storm surge; choking air pollution in cities; disruption of agricultural supply chains and jobs in rural heartlands; and coastal erosion, to name a few — are a clear and present danger to American interests at home and abroad. This is why the U.S. Department of Defense stated in 2015 “that climate change is an urgent and growing threat to our national security”. Furthermore, estimates have shown these impacts from climate change could cost the American economy $500 billion annually by 2050, and that ﬁgure will only rise unless we work together to stem, and ultimately reverse, the amount of greenhouse gases entering our atmosphere. The cost of prevention pales in comparison to cost of inaction, in terms of dollars, property and human life. As our incoming President, as a businessman, and as a parent, we believe we can ﬁnd common ground when it comes to addressing an issue not rooted in politics or philosophy, but in science and hard economic data. Simply put, we can all agree that ﬁres, ﬂooding and ﬁnancial losses are bad for our country, that we need to protect our communities’ most vulnerable residents who suﬀer the most from the impacts of climate change, and that we all need healthier air to breathe and a stronger economy — rural and urban, Republican and Democrat — and in terms of our domestic quality of life and our standing abroad. 11/30/2016 Open Letter from U.S. #ClimateMayors to President-elect Donald Trump on Tackling Climate Crisis – Medium https://medium.com/@ClimateMayors/open-letter-to-president-elect-donald-trump-on-climate-policy-and-action-33e10dcdcf85#.yar87y8yl 3/7 On November 8, American voters approved more than $200 billion in local measures, funded by their own local tax dollars, to improve quality of life and reduce carbon pollution. Seventy percent of voters in Los Angeles County, the car capital of the world, approved a $120 billion, multi-decade commitment to public transit. Seattle voters approved transit investments totaling $54 billion; Austin voters approved a record-setting $720 million mobility bond; Boston voters approved investment in aﬀordable housing, parks, historic preservation and more. As President, you will have the power to expand and accelerate these local initiatives which the people resoundingly supported. We call upon you and the federal government you will lead to help cities leverage funds for the hundreds of billions of dollars in transit, energy, infrastructure and real estate development necessary to upgrade our infrastructure for the 21st century. We ask that you lead us in expanding the renewable energy sources we need to achieve energy security, address climate change and spark a new manufacturing, energy and construction boom in America. We ask that you help 11/30/2016 Open Letter from U.S. #ClimateMayors to President-elect Donald Trump on Tackling Climate Crisis – Medium https://medium.com/@ClimateMayors/open-letter-to-president-elect-donald-trump-on-climate-policy-and-action-33e10dcdcf85#.yar87y8yl 4/7 provide American businesses the certainty to invest through continued tax credits for electric vehicles, solar power, renewables and other clean technologies. And we ask that you shift to embrace the Paris Climate Agreement and make U.S. cities your partner in doing so. While we are prepared to forge ahead even in the absence of federal support, we know that if we stand united on this issue, we can make change that will resonate for generations. We have no choice and no room to doubt our resolve. The time for bold leadership and action is now. Signed, Mayor Eric Garcetti City of Los Angeles, CA Mayor Martin J Walsh City of Boston, MA Mayor Bill de Blasio New York City, NY Mayor Edward B Murray City of Seattle, WA Mayor Stephen K Benjamin City of Columbia, SC Mayor Jennifer W Roberts City of Charlotte, NC Mayor Rahm Emanuel City of Chicago, IL Mayor Greg Stanton City of Phoenix, AZ Mayor Jim Kenney City of Philadelphia, PA Mayor Buddy DyerƟ City of Orlando, FL 11/30/2016 Open Letter from U.S. #ClimateMayors to President-elect Donald Trump on Tackling Climate Crisis – Medium https://medium.com/@ClimateMayors/open-letter-to-president-elect-donald-trump-on-climate-policy-and-action-33e10dcdcf85#.yar87y8yl 5/7 Mayor Roy D Buol City of Dubuque, IA Mayor Charlie HalesƟ City of Portland, OR Mayor Jackie Biskupski Salt Lake City, UT Mayor Libby Schaaf City of Oakland, CA Mayor Sam Liccardo City of San Jose, CA Mayor Muriel Bowser Washington, DC Mayor Christopher B Coleman City of Saint Paul, MN Mayor Kasim Reed City of Atlanta, GA Mayor Sly James City of Kansas City, MO Mayor Michael B Hancock City and County of Denver, CO Mayor Steve Adler City of Austin, TX Mayor Ed Lee City of San Francisco, CA Mayor Bill Peduto City of Pittsburgh, PA Mayor Kitty Piercy City of Eugene, OR 11/30/2016 Open Letter from U.S. #ClimateMayors to President-elect Donald Trump on Tackling Climate Crisis – Medium https://medium.com/@ClimateMayors/open-letter-to-president-elect-donald-trump-on-climate-policy-and-action-33e10dcdcf85#.yar87y8yl 6/7 Mayor Tom Bates City of Berkeley, CA Mayor Tony Vasquez City of Santa Monica, CA Mayor Joseph A Curtatone City of Somerville, MA Mayor Steve Skadron City of Aspen, CO Mayor Suzanne Jones City of Boulder, CO Mayor Jack Thomas Park City, UT Mayor Mary Casillas Salas City of Chula Vista, CA Mayor Elizabeth B. Tisdhal City of Evanston, IL Mayor-elect Darrell Steinberg City of Sacramento, CA Mayor Sylvester Turner* City of Houston, TX Mayor Patrick Burt* City of Palo Alto, CA Mayor Mitch Landrieu* City of New Orleans, LA Mayor Phillip Levine* City of Miami Beach, FL Mayor Lioneld Jordan* City of Fayetteville, NC 11/30/2016 Open Letter from U.S. #ClimateMayors to President-elect Donald Trump on Tackling Climate Crisis – Medium https://medium.com/@ClimateMayors/open-letter-to-president-elect-donald-trump-on-climate-policy-and-action-33e10dcdcf85#.yar87y8yl 7/7 Mayor Betsy Hodges* City of Minneapolis, MN *Updated signatories as of 10:30pm PST, 29 November 2016