Menu
As we recover from the pandemic and economic crises of the past year and a half, we have a unique opportunity to not only provide immediate relief to our communities, but to also improve how we deploy federal funds in the years to come. With that in mind, we write to urge you to consider several common-sense changes to federal funding rules that will enable states with the greatest staffing, budgetary, and capacity constraints to effectively utilize — and therefore maximize the impact of — federal funding opportunities.
Put simply: If these states succeed, then the country succeeds.
Launched on June 1, 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the previous administration’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, at least 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories continue to demonstrate that climate action goes hand-in-hand with economic growth, job creation, and better public health. While reducing emissions by 18% between 2005 and 2021, Alliance members grew their collective GDP by nearly 30%. The coalition’s states and territories are employing more workers in the clean energy sector, achieving lower levels of dangerous air pollutants, and preparing more effectively for climate impacts and executing more pre-disaster planning than the rest of the country.
###
