Calling on Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act to provide resources to Philadelphia and cities like it to combat climate change while creating jobs and fostering local economic development.

WHEREAS, Climate change poses a clear threat to the residents of Philadelphia, as well as the entire nation and world; and

WHEREAS, Continued carbon emissions from businesses, transportation and the energy sector threatens to continue warming our planet; and

WHEREAS, A recent report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finds that we are running out of time to reduce carbon pollution and avoid a climate catastrophe; and

WHEREAS, Increasingly severe and frequent storms, like Hurricane Ida, pose a growing threat to Philadelphia’s neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, The threat posed by climate change falls disproportionately on low-income communities and communities of color, who have fewer financial resources to rebuild after extreme weather events and who are more likely to suffer chronic health conditions, like asthma, that are exacerbated by a warming planet; and

WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has long led the way in addressing this existential threat by increasing procurement of municipal clean energy, passing energy-benchmark legislation designed to reduce carbon emissions from large commercial properties, investing in weatherization to reduce energy costs for seniors and low-income residents, and working to mitigate the risk of flooding by pioneering the landmark “Green City Clean Water” stormwater management plan to invest in green infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, It is impossible for any one city to address such a large threat alone; and

WHEREAS, Cities like Philadelphia need to marshal the resources of the federal government to support and expand on these initiatives; and

WHEREAS, President Biden has proposed a historic $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Agenda, which would create millions of well-paying union jobs by investing in climate solutions, like expanding renewable energy, upgrading our electricity grid, expanding mass transit opportunities, like SEPTA, and investing in electric vehicles; and

WHEREAS, The Build Back Better Act also proposes to put people to work addressing other serious environmental hazards, including lead water pipes, toxic conditions in our aging schools and contaminated industrial sites that blight our neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, The Build Back Better Act has the potential to address multi-generational poverty and the systemic racism underlying it by creating new pathways to family-sustaining careers in growing green industries; and

WHEREAS, It is essential that Congress capitalize on this historic moment and act quickly on behalf of the citizens of Philadelphia and the entire nation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby call on Congress to quickly pass the entire Build Back Better Act to put our City back to work addressing the climate crisis.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Council instructs the clerk of the council to forward this resolution as adopted to the Honorable Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, the Honorable Minority Leader of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, the Honorable Majority Leader of the Senate Chuck Schumer, the Honorable Minority Leader of the Senate Mitchell McConnell, the Honorable Senator Robert Casey, the Honorable Senator Patrick Toomey, the Honorable Representative Brendan Boyle, and the Honorable Representative Dwight Evans.

End