Folks:
Congratulations to our Chippewa Valley Group members and political leaders in Menomonie!!
Unfortunately this announcement has attracted a string of negative comments on the Cap Times website. It would be helpful if some folks, esp from CVG, would submit a brief comment praising the leadership of these cities in tackling solutions to global warming that will strength our energy choices while creating good-paying jobs in clean energy industries. The place to post comments is at the bottom of the article. Thank you , caryl terrell
Menomonie joins Madison, 16 other state cities in global warming fight
Menomonie will become the 18th Wisconsin city to sign on to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.
"We are trying to do our little part in the world," Mayor Dennis Kropp said in an interview Tuesday, the day after the City Council approved the plan.
"We are exploring options. We have a brand new fire station that is environmentally friendly, and we are reducing dependence on fossil fuels as much as we can. We are experimenting with whether we can use biofuels for dump trucks, for instance."
Kropp and the mayors of the 17 other cities, including Madison, have also pledged to try to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
Nationally, more than 800 mayors have signed on.
A survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors last year of cities participating at that time found that, among respondents:
* More than four out of five cities used renewable energy or were considering doing so.
* All but four of the survey cities were using more energy-efficient lighting technologies in public buildings, street lights, parks, traffic signals and other uses.
* Almost three-fourths used alternative fuels or hybrid-electric technology in city fleets.
* More than three out of four were encouraging the private sector to construct buildings that are energy-efficient and use sustainable building techniques.
"This survey clearly shows that mayors are acting decisively to curb global warming, helping fill the void left by federal inaction," conference President Douglas Palmer, the mayor ofTrenton, N.J., said when survey results were released.
Other Wisconsin municipalities that have signed the Climate Protection Agreement are: Ashland, Bayfield, Greenfield, Kenosha, La Crosse, Milwaukee, New Berlin, Oshkosh, Racine,River Falls, Stevens Point, Superior, Washburn, Waukesha, Wauwatosa and West Allis.
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz also has taken the Mpower Pledge, which promises to reduce citywide emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by 100,000 tons by 2011. That collaborative agreement with environmental organizations, MGE and others calls for businesses and residents to buy renewable energy, increase efficient use of electricity and natural gas, install solar systems, plant trees and reduce auto emissions by using Madison Metro, Community Car, ride-sharing, biking and walking.