Faced with limited budgets and a lack of capacity, the small cities in the Gateway Cities region found themselves unable to develop the plans, inventories and projects needed to compete for valuable state Cap & Trade Funding. To remedy this, the Council of Governments led a multi-partner effort to create a Regional Climate Action Framework that now is helping cities advance their goals for economic development, public health, air quality, climate resiliency, equity, public engagement and job creation while planning for the impacts of climate change. In this session, you will get a preview of the innovative framework, learn about the resources and partners that led to this project and hear how it is helping local governments compete for state funding.

Speakers:

• Karalee Browne, Institute for Local Government
• Nancy Pfeffer, Gateway Cities Council of Governments
• Brian Schuster, Environmental Science Associates