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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20210713_ClimateMayors_LetterToCongress July 13, 2021 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House U.S. House of Representatives H-232, U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Minority Leader U.S. House of Representatives H-204, U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Charles Schumer Majority Leader U.S. Senate S-221, U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Minority Leader U.S. Senate S-230, U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McCarthy, and Minority Leader McConnell: Cities across the United States are hubs of leadership, innovation, and resilience. Throughout this past year, we have been at the forefront addressing the unprecedented pandemic, associated economic downturn, racial equity, and climate change. Cities big and small are where nearly 83 percent of Americans live. As members of Climate Mayors, we are committed to working with you on an equitable and sustainable recovery that centers the needs of the most disadvantaged communities, creates good jobs, and builds stronger communities, today. The climate and equity crises we face are interrelated and have been compounded by Covid-19, and therefore must be addressed through collaborative, holistic thinking and bold, innovative ideas. We are committed to rebuilding stronger and better, to mitigate structural inequities, to tackle an increasingly destabilizing climate, and to build opportunities for Americans to thrive and reach their full potential. These goals require targeted investments in American cities to build out our nation’s sustainable infrastructure, to create well-paying “high road” jobs, and to support a resilient, clean energy future. We can address climate change, create economic opportunity, and confront injustice all at once through the American Jobs Plan. Cities are ready to meet this moment and build an economy that is inclusive, robust, and sustainable. In any infrastructure and economic recovery package we urge you to: 1. Prioritize and expand programs where funds flow directly to cities from the federal government. 2. Prioritize local government-led processes for federal funds that flow to the states to improve inclusivity and accountability. 3. Ensure that federal programs and funding prioritize disadvantaged communities and allow sufficient administrative and implementation flexibility to meet local needs. 4. Ensure that federal spending is accompanied by workforce standards that prioritize job quality and equitable access to well-paying high road careers. Cities face specific challenges unique to their socio-geographical areas, and therefore require flexible funding - direct grants, block grants, etc. - that allow cities to address their distinct challenges efficiently and innovatively, while remaining accountable to grant requirements. We urge investments in the programs listed in the appendix. These programs are critical, smart investments to create good jobs and build thriving, equitable, sustainable communities. Respectfully, Mayor Sylvester Turner Mayor Satya-Rhodes Conway Mayor Kate Gallego Houston, TX Madison, WI Phoenix, AZ Climate Mayors Chair Climate Mayors Co-Chair Climate Mayors Co-Chair Mayor Tim Keller Mayor Steve Adler Mayor Michael Cahill Albuquerque, NM Austin, TX Beverly, MA Steering Committee Steering Committee Steering Committee Mayor James Brainard Mayor Mary Casillas Salas Mayor Stephen Benjamin Carmel, IN Chula Vista, CA Columbia, SC Steering Committee Steering Committee Steering Committee Mayor Eric Johnson Mayor Michael Hancock Mayor James Hovland Dallas, TX Denver, CO Edina, MN Steering Committee Steering Committee Steering Committee Mayor Lucy Vinis Mayor Lioneld Jordan Mayor Eric Garcetti Eugene, OR Fayetteville, AR Los Angeles, CA Steering Committee Steering Committee Steering Committee Mayor Greg Fischer Mayor Jacob Frey Mayor LaToya Cantrell Louisville, KY Minneapolis, MN New Orleans, LA Steering Committee Steering Committee Steering Committee Mayor Bill de Blasio Mayor Buddy Dyer Mayor Bill Peduto New York City, NY Orlando, FL Pittsburgh, PA Steering Committee Steering Committee Steering Committee Mayor Melvin Carter Mayor Ron Nirenberg Mayor Jane Castor Saint Paul, MN San Antonio, TX Tampa, FL Steering Committee Steering Committee Steering Committee Mayor Regina Romero Tucson, AZ Steering Committee Mayor Kathy Sheehan Mayor Justin Wilson Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson Albany, NY Alexandria, VA Anchorage, AK Mayor Christopher Taylor Mayor Nancy Kaboolian Mayor Esther Manheimer Ann Arbor, MI Ardsley, NY Asheville, NC Mayor Torre Mayor Brandon Scott Mayor Lacey Beaty Aspen, CO Baltimore, MD Beaverton, OR Mayor Jesse Arreguin Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith Mayor Lauren McLean Berkeley, CA Blacksburg, VA Boise, ID Mayor Kim Janey Mayor Sam Weaver Mayor Steven B. Grant Boston, MA Boulder, CO Boynton Beach, FL Mayor Cyndy Andrus Mayor Eric Mamula Mayor Joseph P. Ganim Bozeman, MT Breckenridge, CO Bridgeport, CT Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz Mayor Pam Hemminger Mayor John J. Tecklenburg Burnsville, MN Chapel Hill, NC Charleston, SC Mayor Vi Lyles Mayor Nikuyah Walker Mayor Tim Kelly Charlotte, NC Charlottesville, VA Chattanooga, TN Mayor Lori Lightfoot Mayor John Cranley Mayor Charlene Lovett Chicago, IL Cincinnati, OH Claremont, NH Mayor Patrick Wojahn Mayor Andrew Ginther Mayor Ellen R. Tillapaugh College Park, MD Columbus OH Cooperstown, NY Mayor Vince Lago Mayor Brian Tobin Mayor John C. Moore Coral Gables, FL Cortland, NY Cotati, CA Mayor Vincent Rossillo Mayor Robert Carrier Mayor Emily Larson Dobbs Ferry, NY Dover, NH Duluth, MN Mayor Joe Schember Mayor Daniel Biss Mayor David Tarter Erie, PA Evanston, IL Falls Church, VA Mayor Melanie Piana Mayor Paul Deasy Mayor Jeni Arndt Ferndale, MI Flagstaff, AZ Fort Collins, CO Mayor Tom Henry Mayor Lily Mei Mayor Lauren Poe Fort Wayne, IN Fremont, CA Gainesville, FL Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken Mayor Laura Weinberg Mayor Paula Perotte Gloucester, MA Golden, CO Goleta, CA Mayor Rosalyn Bliss Mayor Eric Genrich Mayor Colin Byrd Grand Rapids, MI Green Bay, WI Greenbelt, MD Mayor Joy Cooper Mayor Luke Bronin Mayor Nicola Armacost Hallandale Beach, FL Hartford, CT Hastings-on-Hudson, NY Mayor Mitch Roth Mayor Barbara Halliday Mayor Patrick Taylor Hawai’i County, HI Hayward, CA Highlands, NC Mayor Bill McLeod Mayor Richard Blangiardi Mayor Serge Dedina Hoffman Estates, IL Honolulu, HI Imperial Beach, CA Mayor Joe Hogsett Mayor Svante Myrick Mayor Derek Kawakami Indianapolis, IN Ithaca, NY Kauai, HI Mayor Steven T. Noble Mayor Indya Kincannon Mayor Andy Schor Kingston, NY Knoxville, TN Lansing, MI Mayor Ken Miyagishima Mayor Craig Moe Mayor Theodore W. Becker Las Cruces, NM Laurel, MD Lewes, DE Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird Mayor Robert Garcia Mayor Joyce Craig Lincoln, NE Long Beach, CA Manchester NH Mayor Larry Wallace, Jr. Mayor Mike Victorino Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn Manor, TX Maui County, HI Medford, MA Mayor Dan Gelber Mayor Gurdip Brar Mayor Ben Florsheim Miami Beach, FL Middleton, WI Middletown, CT Mayor Mark Gamba Mayor Wayne Messam Mayor Arlene Burns Milwaukie, OR Miramar, FL Mosier, OR Mayor Jennifer Gregerson Mayor Jim Donchess Mayor Donna Holaday Mukilteo, WA Nashua, NH Newburyport, MA Mayor Francis M. Womack III Mayor David J. Narkewicz Mayor Libby Schaff North Brunswick, NJ Northampton, MA Oakland, CA Mayor Cheryl Selby Mayor Grover Robinson IV Mayor Jim Kenney Olympia, WA Pensacola, FL Philadelphia, PA Mayor Ted Wheeler Mayor Jorge O. Elorza Mayor Tom Butt Portland, OR Providence, RI Richmond, CA Mayor Mike Fournier Mayor Darrell Steinberg Mayor Erin Mendenhall Royal Oak, MI Sacramento, CA Salt Lake City, UT Mayor Todd Gloria Mayor London Breed Mayor Sam Liccardo San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA San Jose, CA Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter Mayor Heidi Harmon Mayor Kate Colin San Leandro, CA San Luis Obispo, CA San Rafael, CA Mayor Donna Meyers Mayor Sue Himmelrich Mayor Van R. Johnson, II Santa Cruz, CA Santa Monica, CA Savannah, GA Mayor Jenny Durkan Mayor Michael J. Gonnelli Mayor George Van Dusen Seattle, WA Secaucus, NJ Skokie, IL Mayor Joe Curtatone Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Mayor Rick Kriseman Somerville, MA St. Louis, MO St. Petersburg, FL Mayor Michael Taylor Mayor Thomas Fromm Mayor Kate Stewart Sterling Heights, MI Swedesboro, NJ Takoma Park, MD Mayor DeLanie Young Mayor Corey Woods Mayor Muriel Bowser Telluride, CO Tempe, AZ Washington, DC Mayor Jimmy Dutra Mayor Lindsey Horvath Mayor Keith James Watsonville, CA West Hollywood, CA West Palm Beach, FL Mayor Thomas M. Roach White Plains, NY APPENDIX OF RECOMMENDED POLICIES AND PROGRAMS Below is a non-exhaustive list of federal programs and programmatic reforms that are critical to addressing climate change, ensuring opportunities for all of our residents and growing our economies. These programs uniquely address the mitigation, adaptation and equity needs of local governments, and how local governments support and partner with their communities. They are necessary to meet local and national climate targets. There are other programs, such as individual incentives, tax credits, or research and development programs, that are critical and that we support but do not address below. Note, this list is in alignment with a letter sent by a broad coalition of environmental, environmental justice, faith, health and other groups representing community needs across the U.S. on February 22, 2021. We follow their leadership and echo their requests for support. BUILDINGS, HOUSING & ENERGY Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant. Increase funding for the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program to at least $3.5 billion per year and broaden the scope and definitions within EECBG to allow funding for: community-based project development and implementation; water efficiency, as well as energy efficiency, in building retrofit programs; decarbonization of transit modes and buildings through electrification; seed money for finance programs; training and support services related to jobs; an oversight mechanism that ensures rapid and equitable distribution of funds; and the incorporation of labor and community standards for projects. Expand DOE Weatherization Assistance Program. Expand and provide additional funding to the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) over a 5-year period to allow ramp up to at least $7 billion annually. Include moderate-income families hard hit by the pandemic by expanding eligibility to 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and increase the per-home-cap from $7,000 to $15,000 to allow for HV/AC system updates with efficient electric technologies like heat pumps. Provide flexibility to program administrators in meeting requirements by allowing compliance with metrics that illustrate reduced energy burden, improved resident health and safety, and increased energy resilience; these equity metrics should be facilitated by the federal government so cities and states operate on the same assumptions. Compliances can be achieved by ensuring that up to 25% of funds are used for health and safety. As for workforce, include job quality and labor standard requirements, and do not require citizenship certification to protect personal information. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Fund the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which assists families with energy costs related to energy bills and weatherization and energy-related home minor repairs. Provide at least $5.1 billion for FY22 to continue to assist with recovery from the lingering economic repercussions of the pandemic for LIHEAP households Clean Energy & Sustainability Accelerator. Establish a new organization or agency with at least $100 billion over five years to invest in clean energy, infrastructure, clean technology manufacturing, and resilient communities, with a focus on underserved communities. In creating a Clean Energy & Sustainability Accelerator (CESA), or Green Bank, CESA is expected to support state and local clean energy projects by: allocating funds to existing green banks across the country while helping cities create their own; assisting with projects that cross state borders; creating financial products for certified Small & Disadvantaged Businesses (DBE/SBES) to compete and perform on energy, building, and infrastructure projects; and providing technical assistance to local banks in developing underwriting criteria that incentivizes diversity and inclusion in the workforce and supply chain. CESA must ensure labor standards and domestic content requirements. State Energy Program. Provide $3.6 billion per year in additional funding through DOE’s State Energy Program (SEP) to incorporate social equity outcomes in state planning, conduct community outreach and planning engagement, and provide technical assistance to environmental justice communities. 40% of funding should go to disadvantaged communities, and those communities should be involved in determining how to spend the funding. Funding should be dedicated to increase staff capacity at state public utility commissions to work on climate and clean energy regulation. Alongside increased staff, SEP should strengthen the requirement that funds be spent on activities that reduce emissions, reduce energy burden, or electrify direct fuel use. Transportation electrification should also be made an eligible spending category. Eliminate the $1M cap on revolving loan funds and expand their authority to finance all sectors, and include a 1% economic inclusion project fee to support local assistance agencies with outreach and training. Require that cities have a consulting role in developing their states’ SEP plan. Public Housing. Increase funding for the Public Housing Operating Fund to at least $70 billion and the National Housing Trust Fund to at least $20 billion, with a carveout for energy efficient and climate- resilient public housing. Anti-Displacement Funding. Set aside at least $5 billion per year to assist tenants and maintain local control of assets by supporting small landlords and minority owned business owners in targeted neighborhoods Low-Income Clean Energy. Provide additional financing and grants through DOE for installation of rooftop and community solar, battery storage, electric vehicle charging, electric panel upgrades, and electric appliance replacements and HUD’s Healthy Homes and Weatherization Cooperation Demonstration and Weatherization Innovation Pilot Programs. School Retrofits. Provide sufficient funding to retrofit all K-12 public schools to make them healthy, highly efficient, and all electric. Prioritize repairs key to the health and safety of students and staff. Provide additional funding to simultaneously remediate environmental hazards, such as lead pipes, lead paint, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in light ballasts. Install solar and geothermal or air source heating and cooling, when and as appropriate and cost effective. Install bidirectional electric vehicle charging infrastructure for teacher, staff, guest, and school bus parking spaces. Expand opportunities to develop green schoolyards and school gardens. Expand partnership for apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships. Smart Grid Investment Grants. Reinstate DOE’s Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) Program to drive investments in distribution systems and grid-integrated buildings, prioritizing investments that improve resiliency and flexibility, especially in underserved and vulnerable communities. Transmission Assistance. Increase funding to DOE to provide technical assistance to state and regional entities to identify, site, and ultimately approve transmission projects that are in the public interest. Industrial Decarbonization. Support state and local governments in pursuing industrial decarbonization strategies designed for local circumstances, such as through a state block grant program for the expansion of industrial efficiency retrofits. COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS Community Development. Provide full funding in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) at a minimum of $30 billion annually, including disaster recovery and mitigation subcomponents, and at least $2 billion for the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) fund to support equitable and climate-resilient community development and investments in public health and social services to support communities in transition, environmental justice communities, and frontline communities. Grantees under the recommended ‘Green Community Development Block Grant’ should be required to design projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local pollution, lower energy bills through energy efficiency improvements, protect public health and safety, and address resilience through community- driven planning that prevents displacement. Funding should also be allocated towards training for the jobs that arise from CDBG projects. EJ Small Grants. Increase funding for EPA’s Environmental Justice Small Grant (EJSG) Program to at least $6 billion, increase the grant size to up to $500,000, and increase the grant period from one to two years. Grants to Disadvantaged Communities. Reduce disparities for frontline communities affected by climate change by increasing funding for EPA’s Multipurpose Grants to States and Tribes, the Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program, and Community Action for a Renewed Environment Grant Program. Coal Community Investment. Provide at least $4 billion over 10 years for community revitalization and economic development in coal-impacted communities through expanding the Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER Initiative, Economic Development Administration’s Assistance to Coal Communities program, Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, and relevant programs at the USDA, EPA, DOE, SBA, and other agencies. This should include specific funding dedicated to increased staffing for these programs and requirements for measuring the impacts of investments. Invest in Community-level contracting. Allocate a percentage of federal funds (0.5% of major infrastructure funding) to establish agency-level community contracting offices responsible for expanding 49 CFR Part 26 of the Code of Federal regulations beyond Department of Transportation to all federally funded projects, and to fund and support cities to establish community contractor accelerator initiatives that help small contractors with public procurement, acquire and use state-of-art materials and technologies, prompt payments; to become socially responsible and signatory contractors; and to otherwise to effectively compete for federal dollars. Investing in small businesses’ capacity to compete for public sector (federal, city and state) grants and contracts is critical for reducing income and wealth disparities, and expanding the city’s tax base. They are the first source hiring halls for entry-level and diverse workers. TRANSPORTATION Performance Management Measures. Measure multimodal access to jobs and essential services to prioritize selection of projects that improve the ability of community residents to access jobs, affordable homes, essential services, schools, and green space. Measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation and use the information to prioritize projects that reduce transportation GHG emissions. Measure vehicle miles traveled and use the information to prioritize projects that reduce driving, because electrifying the vehicle fleet is not enough by itself to meet GHG reduction targets. Measure safety (number of deaths and serious injuries) consistent with a Vision Zero approach to recognize that deaths of people walking have increased by 45 percent in the last decade. Incorporate accountability for making progress in performance on these measures for agencies that receive federal funding. Transit and Rail Investment. Increase transit funding to at least equal to the level of highway funding. Provide at least $25 billion for Capital Investment Grants, $30 billion for Amtrak, and $30 billion for rail grants over five years. A $20 billion annual operating support program should also be created to incentivize more and more frequent and expanded service, particularly for communities of color and low-income communities, and to support workforce training. Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program. Extend the two-year limit on the project development phase of FTA’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program. Make the CIG local match requirements comparable, if not lower, than those required for highway projects. Reduce federal oversight requirements where the CIG contribution is below 50% or where the project sponsor has successfully implemented one or more CIG projects of similar complexity in the past five years. Consider ADA access components as eligible expenses in Core Capacity projects. Prioritize projects in disadvantaged communities and require documented coordination between the project sponsor and local housing authorities. Competitive Funding and Financing Programs. Give priority or other incentives (such as increased federal share) to low-carbon and climate-related transportation projects in competitive or discretionary programs such as REACH, TIFIA, and RRIF. Complete Streets and Transportation Alternatives. Increase funding for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) programs that directly support local investments in safety, walking, and biking, including at least $8.5 billion over five years for the Transportation Alternatives Program. Amend the Transportation Alternatives Program to remove transferability to other highway programs except CMAQ, and increase the federal share for projects to 90 percent during COVID recovery. Federal-Aid Highway Programs. Provide direct aid to cities and enable local control over project selection, design, and development. Create a federal direct-aid program for cities focused on investments in safety, state-of-good-repair, transit, multimodal, walking, cycling, and resilience, with funding distributed to cities through a new opt-in program for cities to enter into a direct recipient relationship with FHWA, as well as by requiring state DOTs to sub-allocate a portion of CMAQ, HSIP, and Surface Transportation Block Grant (STGBP) funds to cities. Enable local control over project selection, design, and development by explicitly granting default design authority to cities, provided they are using an approved design guide, and extending to cities any flexibilities that states receive with regard to project delivery. Create an appeal process for cities to request a review of a state's decision from FHWA, allow cities to formally object or prevent states from spending any sub-allocated funds on projects they oppose within their borders, and require states to provide cities with technical assistance to manage federal funds and grants. Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program. Provide at least $50 billion over five years to spur integrated community infrastructure investment, deliver local environmental and economic development benefits, and expand affordable and clean options for transit between communities. Climate-Transportation Grants. Include in next reauthorization bill at a minimum: $8.35 billion over five years for a new apportionment program to support carbon pollution reduction; $6.25 billion over five years for a new apportionment program to support resilience and make it a core part of the Federal-aid highway program; and $250 million per year for Community Climate Innovation Grants. Inclusive Planning Processes. Provide additional funding for community outreach, long range planning, and project development to speed project delivery under appropriate conditions and to ensure that development does not burden disadvantaged communities and that their voices are heard in the process. Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Provide grants and tax incentives to build out charging for plug-in electric vehicles in cities, along national corridors, in key communities and ports. Bills including the Clean Corridors Act or the EV Freedom Act and Moving Forward Act support the installation of charging infrastructure along highways. Increase deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in low-income communities and communities of color. Zero-Emission Transit Buses. Increase grant funding (such as through the Low and No Emissions Vehicles Program, which should be at least $2.5 billion per year) sufficiently to make all transit buses zero-emission, and offer incentives to purchase all-electric fleets. Eliminate natural gas eligibility to maximize electrification. Zero-Emission School Buses. Increase grant funding sufficiently to make all school buses zero- emission. Fund Purchases of Electric School Buses: Create and fund a Clean School Bus Grant Program within the Department of Energy to subsidize the cost of electric school buses built in North America. Provide at least $20 billion over five years to the Clean School Bus Grant Program. Zero-Emission Trucks and Ports. Provide grants to cut emissions from ports and medium- and heavy- duty trucks through diesel emission reduction grant programs, port electrification grant programs, freight electrification grant programs, and tax incentives, excise tax breaks, and/or vouchers modeled on state programs for zero-emission trucks, including funding for hydrogen fuel cell heavy trucks and fueling infrastructure. Support the electrification of the nation’s freight and logistics sector through a five-year $500 million, annual competitive grant program. Support ground-side and air-side adoption of zero- and low-emission vehicles at airports by providing $500 million a year for five years for both the VALE Program, and the Airport ZEV and Infrastructure Pilot Program. RESILIENCE Climate Planning. Establish a National Climate Adaptation Program that provides grants, finance capacity, and skilled technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments to finance and insure projects identified through hazard mitigation and climate adaptation plans, prioritizing low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately affected by climate impacts. Community Resilience: Establish a new long-term climate adaptation funding program (through grants, financing, and/or a revolving loan fund). Fund and direct FEMA’s Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG) to develop and maintain an accessible inventory of resources for st ate and local governments for climate resilience training and education. Increase funding for the CDC’s Climate-Ready States and Cities Initiative (CRSCI) and Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) programs. Create a new federal grant program for the development of local resilience hubs supported by local public services. Pre-Disaster Mitigation. Provide at least $4 billion as a direct appropriation to supplement the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) 6% set aside in the Stafford Act and prioritize investments in disadvantaged communities. Increase funding for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to supplement the sliding scale set aside in the Stafford Act. Wildfire Resilience. At least $200 million for the National Fire Capacity Program through states to support community development and implementation of wildfire defense plans. Flood Mitigation. H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act (Sec. 60005), which passed the House last year, provided $1 billion for flood mitigation. At least $500 million per year for flood mapping. Prioritize investments in disadvantaged communities. We support inclusion of this section in the infrastructure legislation. Water Supply. H.R. 2 provides $1 billion to municipalities for watershed, wet weather, and resiliency projects (Sec. 22104) and $3.5 billion for western water infrastructure and drought resiliency measures (Sec. 81201-81252). We support inclusion of this section in infrastructure legislation. Transportation Resilience. H.R. 2 (Sec. 1201-1202) provided $6.25 billion for resilience projects identified by Metropolitan Planning Organizations and expanded Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program eligibility. Sec. 14017 of the S.2302, America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019, which passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in 2019, provided $4.9 billion for PROTECT grants to states, and Sec. 1106 provided guidance. We support inclusion of these provisions in infrastructure legislation. Public Health Resilience. Increase funding for the Health and Human Services (HHS)’ Hospital Preparedness Program to support hospitals and other critical health facilities to prepare emergency plans that address increasing climate-related risks, including provisions to ensure reliable power and water supplies during disasters. Increase funding to HHS Public Health Service's Ready Reserve Corps to enhance capacity for the public sector. Expand eligibility and increase funding to the CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement to provide state and local public health departments with the resources to help hospitals and health care facilities increase capacities and capabilities to confront climate threats. Resilience Training and Emergency Networks. Provide caregivers and other de facto first responders with additional training and certification. Provide grants to support the pre-disaster development of response networks by increasing funding for the CDC Climate Ready Cities and States Initiative using the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework. WORKFORCE Labor Standards. Provide additional funding for clean energy projects built with high-road labor standards. Provide additional funding for clean energy projects built with domestic content standards. Job quality standards include family-sustaining wages (i.e., prevailing wages for construction occupations, wage floors for other occupations), employer-provided benefits, career pathways, and safe and healthy working conditions. Job quality should also address certification requirements for relevant jobs, including apprenticeship standards for apprenticeable occupations. Federal programs should have job access (i.e., hiring) targets for low-income households, historically marginalized people and communities, i.e., BIPOC, women, at-risk youth, and those with barriers to employment. Provide at least $500 million to help cities formalize community workforce agreements (CWAs) between government, labor, and community stakeholders, including support for CWA capacity building (training & T.A.), facilitated convenings, negotiations and collaborative oversight for such agreements, as well as support for aligning the workforce ecosystem around high road standards. Workforce Development in Low-Income Communities. At least double the current funding available to promote high-quality, family-sustaining, environment- or infrastructure-related jobs in communities that need them the most through programs such as FEMA’s Community Emergency Response Training Program, the Brownfields Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants Program, Energy Training Partnership Grant Program, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) Environmental Career Worker Training). Energy training programs should include climate, equity, and mobility jobs as an eligible work area. Conservation Service Corps. Support at least 500,000 workers over the next five years for one of several proposals to create a Climate Corps, reinstate the Civilian Conservation Corps, or invest in existing conservation service corps and other stewardship organizations. This program should fund work on climate resilience and natural infrastructure, and include urban resilience and conservation efforts such as community gardens and tree planting to address urban heat islands, among other projects. This program should also ensure partnerships with unions and with quality workforce training programs, such as pre- apprenticeship pathways into registered apprenticeship programs and other union training programs as well as community colleges and non-profit organizations. It should also include strong protections against private and public sector job displacement. This new program should center equity at its core and ensure greater opportunity and career pathways for women and people of color. LAND USE Agricultural Adaptation Staffing, Outreach, and Technical Assistance. Provide mandatory funding for state Climate Hubs and the Long Term Agricultural Research (LTAR) network. Significantly expand and make mandatory the Conservation Technical Assistance Program. Increase funding for technical assistance within the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Farm Service Agency, National Organic Program (NOP), and other USDA agencies, with a focus on guidance on practices benefiting long-term climate adaptation and mitigation. Invest in new farmer training on climate-smart agriculture practices through increasing funding for the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach (FOTO) Program and includes training on climate-smart agriculture and the 2501 Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program. Other Agriculture Programs: Double the funding for Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). Double the funding for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Double the funding for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and add carbon sequestration and emissions reductions as a purpose of the program; carbon sequestration and emissions reduction should also be added as evaluation criteria for proposals. Additionally, RCPP should prioritize partnerships that include traditionally underserved and climate-vulnerable communities. Local Parks Investment in Underserved Communities. Fund local parks to provide equitable access to nature and recreation, reduce the urban heat island effect, protect at-risk jobs, spur local economic development, and improve outdoor recreation infrastructure, while addressing historic inequities in park access, and support an emergency investment of $500 million for local parks in underserved communities. Secure Rural Schools Program. Alter the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program to provide sufficient funding to SRS counties while decoupling county payments from unpredictable and highly volatile timber receipts that are a perverse incentive for unsustainable and environmentally damaging timber harvests. Pollution Remediation. At a minimum, increase annual funding for Superfund clean-up to $20 billion, Superfund Emergency Response and Removal to $840 million, Brownfield Redevelopment to $2 billion, and for the CARE Program to $100 million. Local impacts of climate change must be included in Superfund site planning and remediation. Equity Research. Provide adequate funding for national laboratories or the EPA to develop and maintain a public-facing, community-specific impact modeling tool and an Environmental Justice Screening Tool for regulatory use. Orphan Well Clean Up. Establish an orphan well cleanup fund to plug and reclaim dangerous and polluting abandoned oil and gas wells. Federal bonding, idle well, and idle well transfer reform should also be included either through administrative action, separate legislation or paired legislation to ensure the program is not an industry bailout and addresses both the existing population of orphan wells and the drivers of potential future orphan wells. WATER Clean Water. Build on the $90 billion for the protection of and improved access to clean water in H.R. 2, which included $40 billion for wastewater, $25 billion for drinking water, $22.5 billion for lead service line replacement, and $500 million a year for PFAS clean up, by adding the following: $22.5 billion (for a total of $45 billion) for replacing all lead service lines and a $100 billion infusion into the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, with at least a 20% set-aside as grants for disadvantaged communities and at least a 20% set aside for green infrastructure. Set aside a portion of the expanded Drinking Water SRF funds to benchmark state and local infrastructure restoration through water loss auditing and reporting, including funds for training. Authorize EPA to establish and maintain a national clearinghouse and on-line database of major water main breaks from all large public water systems, including data on the size, type and age of broken mains. Direct an additional $10.5 billion for the Small & Disadvantaged Communities program, Alaska Native Villages and Rural Communities Water Grant program, US-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure program, Sewer Overflow Grant program, and the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. Also, permanently extend the Buy America provision for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (see Sec. 22110 and Sec. 33104 of H.R. 2). Federal Water Assistance Program. Establish a Federal Water Assistance Program, similar to the Low- Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), to support water assistance and affordability for low-income families. ### About Climate Mayors Representing over 74 million Americans from 48 states, Climate Mayors is a peer-to-peer network of 476 U.S. city mayors who have committed to fighting climate change. Originally founded in 2014, the network’s ranks swelled to almost 400 mayors in response to the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Climate Mayors commit to taking ambitious action to meet each of their cities’ current climate goals, while working together towards achieving our national Paris targets. For more information, please visit WWW.CLIMATEMAYORS.ORG.