After taking some heat (pun intended) for not signing onto the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio today gave up the signature. Her news release on the subject announced the signing and then went on at length to detail the city's anti-global warming initiatives:
City government is already working on many of the proposed actions in the agreement in order to protect our local environment for future generations. Tampa is developing a residential city center in downtown and Channelside to help reduce sprawl and create an urban, walkable community; preserve open space and green space throughout our neighborhoods through parks and pocket parks; providing city employees with a discounted bus pass as part of their benefits package; working to develop Tampa’s Greenways & Trails to connect our neighborhoods through bicycle trails; developing The Tampa Riverwalk to connect all of downtown’s amenities; working on green building and sustainability policies and codes through a committee that includes the local business community; promoting mass transit and improved commuter initiatives such as a meaningful circulator system; increased recycling efforts; and promoting tree planting through our annual 1,000 Trees program and beautification efforts.
In addition, Tampa is one of only two cities in the state that owns a waste-to-energy facility. The city’s McKay Bay Refuse-to-Energy Facility, a viable source of renewable energy, processes more than 300,000 tons of non-recyclable municipal solid waste producing the energy equivalent of 713,000 barrels of oil, which can supply the energy needs of 20,000 homes.
Iorio established a Mayor’s Environmental Roundtable in 2005 and has supported legislative efforts to preserve the beauty of our state and protect our environment. This includes opposing the lifting of the moratorium on drilling in the Eastern Planning Area of the Gulf of Mexico and the redistricting of the Gulf which would allow off-shore drilling in Florida waters.
This article appears in Jan 31 – Feb 6, 2007.