Mayor Kasim Reed and more than 30 national elected leaders on Tuesday called on President-elect Donald Trump to support their efforts to cut carbon emissions and promote renewal energy.
In a letter to Trump, the mayors said, “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.”
The mayors said their cities have committed to “ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, set climate action, regularly report on our progress, share lessons and hold each other accountable.”
In addition to Reed, mayors who signed the letter include Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, Muriel Browser of Washington, D.C., Bill DeBlasio of New York City and Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles.
According to the mayors, voters in several cities on Nov. 8 approved more than $200 billion in taxes to improve quality of life and reduce carbon pollution. Voters in Los Angeles County, for instance, approved a $120 billion tax for public transit while Seattle residents gave a thumbs up to transit investments totaling $54 billion.
In Atlanta, voters agreed Nov. 8 to an almost penny increase in the sales tax within the city limits for MARTA and various city transportation improvements, such as purchasing the remaining right of way for Atlanta BeltLine and synchronization of traffic signals.
Fulton County voters approved a three-quarters of a penny increase in the sales tax for bridge and road improvements. That increase is limited to unincorporated Fulton and cities in the county with the exception of Atlanta.
“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,” the group said.
