Local Governments

San Francisco has set a city wide goal of 10,000 new solar energy installations by 2010. | View San Francisco Solar Map

Recovery Act Funding for Renewable Energy (PDF) (18 pp, 226K)

Programs, Tools & Resources to Assist Local Governments (PDF)

U.S. mayors, city staff and local organizations are taking the lead to address climate change at the local community level. Cities are signing agreements, setting targets, and writing climate action plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has the tools, resources and programs your city can use to implement those action plans.

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State and Local Clean Energy Programs

Local Successes

City of Berkeley's wins US EPA Climate Protection Award

The City of Berkeley was recognized for being the first city in the United States to allow property owners to pay for energy efficiency and solar power using their individual property tax bill. EPA established the Climate Protection Awards in 1998 to recognize exceptional leadership, outstanding innovation, personal dedication, and technical achievements in climate protection.

City of Berkeley's Climate Action

Lack of information and financing are two major barriers preventing residential and small commercial buildings from being upgraded more readily. Through the Berkeley Solar Initiative (BSI), the City of Berkeley plans to break down these barriers. BSI is still in the initial stages of development, but services that could be provided to customers include: an assessment of customer’s needs and current energy baseline; an overarching presentation of the energy efficiency and solar technology program offerings; financial assessment for different technology options; and contractor bid evaluations. (source: Berkeley Solar Initiative Business Plan June 2008 Draft)

BSI is financed through the Berkeley Financing Initiative for Renewable and Solar Technology (FIRST) Program. Through this Program, the City of Berkeley is the first city in the US to allow property owners to pay for solar power system installation as a long-term assessment on their individual property tax bill. Berkeley is also exploring expansion of this program to include energy efficiency improvements. Assembly Bill 811 was recently signed by Governor Schwarzenegger authorizing all California cities to establish similar financial mechanisms to encourage energy efficiency improvements in existing homes.

Collaborative Efforts to Assist Local Governments

Cool California provides toolkit for local governments to identify cost saving actions, financial resources, and case studies to assist local governments achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions.

ICLEI is an association of over 1000 local governments from 67 countries who are committed to sustainable development. They provide conferences, networking, and toolkits to help local governments realize sustainable visions.

Cool Cities are cities that have made a commitment to stop global warming by signing the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. The Cool Cities campaign empowers city residents and local leaders to join and encourage their cities to implement smart energy solutions to save money and build a cleaner, safer future.

Clean Cities is a government-industry partnership sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Program. With almost 90 local coalitions and more than 5,700 stakeholders, Clean Cities' mission is to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector.

Smart Growth encourages the use of sustainable development principles to help cities and countries reduce carbon footprints.

ICLEI Releases Climate Protection Toolkit for Small Communities

ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability has released a free resource to help communities with 25,000 people or fewer launch and maintain climate, energy, and sustainability initiatives. ICLEI’s Small Communities Toolkit provides detailed resources, case studies, and insight to help small communities succeed despite limitations of staff and funding.

The toolkit also helps smaller communities understand how to take advantage of their significant opportunities. For example, in a small, close-knit community, a local government can more easily influence
community members to make individual changes to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. With this toolkit in hand, small communities can become empowered to reach their goals.

The toolkit is organized into the following sections: