Joining over 50 local jurisdictions from 28 states nationwide, the City of Highland Park, Illinois recently announced its support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan by signing an amicus brief, underscoring its critical importance.
The document was crafted by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at New York’s Columbia Law School. Together with the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the National League of Cities (NLC) — and including the mayors of Dallas, Texas, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Orlando, Florida — Highland Park’s participation makes a strong statement supporting the plan and confronting the threat of climate change.
“The City of Highland Park consistently takes meaningful action against climate change with clear objectives and projects defined in our comprehensive Sustainability Plan,” Mayor Nancy Rotering said. “The Clean Power Plan provides cities across the United States with a clear path forward towards carbon emissions reduction, jobs and more affordable energy for our local businesses and homes.”
The brief was officially filed on April 1. Participants represented a broad array economically and geographically, ranging from several southeast Florida hubs to Tucson, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Jersey City, Pittsburgh and Boston.
“Local governments such as ours are the first responders in weather disasters and climate impacts, which grow increasingly frequent and severe as greenhouse gas emissions cause the climate to change,” Rotering said. “Addressing climate change is critical for our public’s safety and welfare.”
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