MIAMI, FL.— City of Miami Mayor and US Conference of Mayors (USCM)Vice President Manny Diaz joined 100 of the nation’s mayors for the Conference’s 2007 Mayors Climate Protection Summit held in Seattle, Washington, November 1st and 2nd. This summit was the largest-ever gathering of American mayors on climate issues, an event sponsored by the United States Conference of Mayors and hosted by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. 

“Mayors are leading the way by giving an environmental conscience to government action,” said Mayor Diaz. “And the fact that so many mayors from throughout the country are gathered here for these two days is testament that we get it - We are ready to learn from one another, and we are ready to continue leading on this issue.”

As part of the summit, Mayor Diaz testified before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, to push for the passage of an Energy Block Grant that would allow cities currently challenged with budget restraints to receive federal grants specifically to support and expand local energy efficiency projects. Also testifying before the Committee were USCM President and Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. 

“The time to act is now, America deserves strong leadership that will help us become energy independent, protect the environment and create good paying jobs,” said Conference President, Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer. “Mayors are leading by example, and we need a strong partnership with the federal government to achieve our national priority of energy independence.” 

At the Summit, the USCM announced a key new partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) that will allow an additional 1,100 U.S. cities to gain access to volume discounts on energy-efficient and clean-energy products and technologies through a purchasing consortium. CCI's consortium already has negotiated discounted pricing agreements with twenty-two manufacturers of energy-efficient products, including building products, indoor lighting, clean vehicles, traffic and street lighting, advanced waste management technologies, water system components, and alternative energy technologies.

"Climate change is a global issue that we must address immediately if we are to reverse its catastrophic effects," said President Clinton. "I am pleased that the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Wal-Mart and many businesses are working with my foundation to supply energy efficient and clean energy products. By offering these products at a discounted rate, we can ensure that more cities and citizens have access to them and that the market for clean energy technology will grow.  Together, I hope that we can have a measurable impact on greenhouse gas emissions around the world.”

Additional highlights included: discussion of the role of green jobs in helping accelerate the greening of American cities; unveiling of the Climate Protection Council to underscore the relationship needed between local elected officials and business leaders to accelerate green projects; and an interactive Q & A session via satellite with Former Vice President Al Gore on the issue of global warming.

For more information about the Summit or information about the mayors’ efforts on climate protection, please visit: www.usmayors.org

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more.  There are 1,139 such cities in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor. Mayor Diaz will become President of the Conference in June, 2008.