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Legislation
Resolution
City Hall
3500 Pan American
Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www,miamigov.com
File Number: 07-00497 Final Action Date:
A RESOLUTION OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION, URGING THE PRESIDENT
AND THE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO SUPPORT
INCREASED INVESTMENTS IN WEATHERIZATION TO BENEFIT THE NATION'S
COMMUNITIES.
WHEREAS, during the past five (5) years, the City of Miami has launched a comprehensive and
aggressive environmental program to clean our streets, our waterways, brown fields, storm drains, and
improve our air and water quality, thus erasing decades of environmental neglect; and,
WHEREAS, in furtherance of this environmental program, Mayor Manuel A. Diaz ("Mayor") was one of
the first United States Mayors to sign the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement (the "Agreement")
committing cities to take actions to reduce global warming pollution by striving to meet or exceed
Kyoto Protocol targets; and,
WHEREAS, the Mayor's commitment to join other mayors throughout the country (today 400 Mayors
representing over 58 million people have signed the Agreement) brought the issue of environmental
policy to the forefront of South Florida priorities; and,
WHEREAS, during the Mayor's 2006 State of the City Address, core steps for environmental policy
were etched out, increasing the level of focus on innovation, and developing a strong foundation for
environmentalism; and,
WHEREAS, the cost of energy to heat and cool homes, businesses, and municipal buildings in the
City of Miami has been rising in recent years to unprecedented levels; and
WHEREAS, the rising costs of heating and cooling homes, businesses, and municipal buildings in the
City of Miami has a direct and substantial impact on the financial well-being of families and business;
and
WHEREAS, these high energy prices amount to a substantial drain on the economy of the City of
Miami; and
WHEREAS, there are many factors that drive the cost of energy, most of which are outside the control
of families, businesses and local governments, but one important factor -- ensuring that homes and
buildings are properly weatherized -- generally can be controlled; and
WHEREAS, there are many simple and cost-effective weatherization measures that can help reduce
the amount of energy used and therefore help lower energy bills; and
WHEREAS, federal resources to assist with weatherization have been declining in recent years, even
in the face of rising energy costs; and
City of Miami Page 1 of 2 Printed On: 4/3/2007
File Number: 07-00497
WHEREAS, the City of Miami is well -positioned to assist families, businesses and its municipal
budgets by educating its residents on weatherization measures and aggressively promoting
weatherization through local programs; and
WHEREAS, the City of Miami recognizes the importance of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance
Program (LIHEAP) as an important federal resource to assist qualified individuals and families with
paying energy bills, but also recognizes that weatherization efforts are critical because LIHEAP
generally does not provide sufficient funding to meet the demand for the program, LIHEAP serves only
one small segment of the population, and LIHEAP does nothing to assist energy consumers with
lowering their actual energy bills.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The Miami City Commission urges the President and the members of the United States
Congress to substantially increase the amount of federal resources to assist families, businesses and
local governments with weatherization efforts, without jeopardizing LIHEAP.
Section 2. The City Clerk is directed to transmit a copy of this Resolution to the President, the Senate
Majority Leader, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and all the members of the United
States Congress.
Section 3, This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and signature of the
Mayor.{1}
Footnotes:
{1 } If the Mayor does not sign this Resolution, it shall become effective at the end of ten calendar days
from the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Resolution, it shall become effective
immediately upon override of the veto by the City Commission.
City of Miami Page 2 of 2 Printed On: 4/3/2007