At 5P.M. yesterday Mayor Hutton became the 10th mayor in Indiana to sign the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.
I attended and was heartened by the Mayor’s comments that the city will look closely at its energy profile, commit to buying only Energy Star products, reduce environmental footprint of city buildings, support smart development initiatives, and improve the efficiency of the city vehicle fleet.

This is in addition to the stated goal to “Urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol — 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012″.

I don’t recall her exact words but Mayor Hutton stated that this is an area where it makes sense for us to invest money because it will pay dividends in the future.

From the press announcement:

The City is already implementing or has plans for implementing most of the 12 items listed in the Climate Protection Agreement through the Indiana CLEAN Community Challenge administered by IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management), the Richmond Comprehensive Plan 2006, and the Richmond/Wayne County Environmental Awareness Council.

This is excellent news because it takes the issue local. In order for this to gain traction it will need to show results.

The U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement A. We urge the federal government and state governments to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the target of reducing global warming pollution levels to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, including efforts to: reduce the United States’ dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the development of clean, economical energy resources and fuel-efficient technologies such as conservation, methane recovery for energy generation, waste to energy, wind and solar energy, fuel cells, efficient motor vehicles, and biofuels; B. We urge the U.S. Congress to pass bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation that includes 1) clear timetables and emissions limits and 2) a flexible, market-based system of tradable allowances among emitting industries

Stay tuned…