We recently co-hosted a virtual town hall with mayors from four states in the Mid-Atlantic region, including Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. The mayors called on Congress to pass the Build Back Better $3.5 trillion infrastructure and climate plan, highlighting the family-sustaining union jobs that would be created with a transformational investment in clean energy. View the recording here.
Sheehan was joined by mayors from three other states to highlight the importance of swift action from Washington: Mayor Gavin Buckley of Annapolis, Maryland; Mayor Ravi Bhalla of Hoboken, New Jersey; and Mayor Paige Cognetti of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Mayors are on the frontlines of climate change and deal first-hand with its effects – from flooding to transportation pollution to heatwaves.
The event was co-hosted with the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania as part of our multi-state coalition that is advocating for strong federal climate action. League of Conservation Voters state affiliates across the country are hosted regional discussions with mayors from New England, the Midwest, and the Mountain West. In total, 20 U.S. mayors joined the Conservation Voter Movement for Climate Action Now events this week.
Sheehan hailed the Senate’s recent passage of a bipartisan infrastructure deal to invest in crumbling bridges and expand public transit. But she said that this first step must be joined to a second, $3.5 trillion jobs and climate package currently under consideration in Congress in order to transform the region’s economy and bring it into the 21st century.
“Every elected official, from the federal level to the local level, has a role in combatting climate change. We have a massive opportunity with President Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda, and the City of Albany is ready to do our part to rebuild our infrastructure, build a clean energy grid, and create good-paying jobs for our community” Sheehan said. “Albany is an economic and cultural center for New York, and we have a responsibility to protect our city for future generations. Thank you to the New York League of Conservation Voters for hosting this important discussion.”
The mayors highlighted the union jobs that would be created if Congress moves forward with the president’s plan to tackle climate change, pointing to investments in renewable energy sources and weatherization that would also help lower energy costs for consumers and businesses alike.
And they pointed to proposals that would replace every lead pipe in the nation, finally eliminating a threat to our nation’s children, as well as investments in remediating contaminated industrial sites as a means of revitalizing blighted communities.
While the mayors hailed the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure deal that the U.S. Senate passed in August, they called on Democrats in Congress to press forward with a standalone climate and energy package — pointing to overwhelming public support for investments in clean energy and other aspects of the president’s agenda.
A recent Data for Progress poll found that 65 percent of voters support these investments.
Sheehan joined with her colleagues in calling on Congress to work with President Biden to ensure swift passage of legislation that enjoys such significant support.
We were thrilled to bring together four mayors who are leading on this front to discuss President Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda. With bold federal climate action, we can make important local investments and create good-paying union jobs, build resilient infrastructure, and create a just and equitable clean energy grid.