Letter of Support for Green Dubuque EPA Environmental Justice GrantMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Letter of Support for Green Dubuque EPA Environmental Justice Grant
Application
DATE: April 13, 2011
Sustainability Coordinator Cori Burbach recommends City Council approval of a letter of
Support for Green Dubuque's application to the EPA Environmental Justice Small Grant
program.
The Environmental Justice Small Grant program is a competitive program available for
non - profit organizations working in their communities to research, educate, and enable
communities to fully understand and address local health and environmental issues.
The EPA defines environmental justice as the fair treatment and meaningful
involvement of all people in the environmental decision - making process. The fields
identified as priorities in the request for proposals mirror the Sustainable Dubuque
vision and principles.
Green Dubuque has been a key partner in collecting data to establish a municipal and
community greenhouse gas baseline. Green Dubuque's grant application will center on
the ongoing development of a community Greenhouse Gas reduction plan that also
maximizes benefits to air quality and social equity.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
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Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Michel C. Van Milligen
Dubuque
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Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator
Don Vogt, Public Works Director
Paul Schultz, Resource Management Coordinator
David Lyons, Smarter Sustainable Dubuque Project Manager
Eric Dregne, Vice President of Programs, Community Foundation of Greater
Dubuque
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Dubuque
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TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator
SUBJECT: Letter of Support for Green Dubuque EPA Environmental Justice Grant
Application
DATE: April 13, 2011
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to request City Council approval of the attached letter of
support for Green Dubuque's application to the EPA Environmental Justice Small Grant
program.
DISCUSSION
The Environmental Justice Small Grant program is a competitive program available for
non - profit organizations working in their communities to research, educate, and enable
communities to fully understand and address local health and environmental issues.
The EPA defines environmental justice as the fair treatment and meaningful
involvement of all people in the environmental decision - making process. The fields
identified as priorities in the request for proposals mirror the Sustainable Dubuque
vision and principles.
Green Dubuque has been a key partner in collecting data to establish a municipal and
community greenhouse gas baseline and has convened a task force to use the
community baseline to establish a GHG reduction plan that also maximizes co- benefits
to local health, economic prosperity, and quality of life.
Phase I of the project has been initiated is ongoing. It consists of building community
support for a goal of 50% GHG reduction by 2030 and creating Version 1.0 of a specific,
carefully - quantified GHG reduction plan that demonstrates how Dubuque can reach
50% reduction using no- regret solutions that are already locally available. The first
version of the GHG reduction plan provides an initial template for GHG reduction but is
intended to be expanded and developed through community input.
Phase II of the project, the subject of Green Dubuque's grant application, will center on
the ongoing development of a community GHG reduction plan that also maximizes
benefits to air quality and social equity. Phase II will involve quantification of the air
quality and economic impacts of various GHG reduction options, regular consultation
with stakeholders including local businesses, government officials, community
organizations and individual citizens, and community outreach.
RECOMMENDATION
The requested action is Council approval of the attached letter of support for Green
Dubuque's application to the EPA Environmental Justice program.
Cc: Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Paul Schultz, Resource Management Coordinator
City Manager's Office
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001 -4864
(563) 589 -4110 phone
(563) 589 -4149 fax
(563) 690 -6678 TDD
ctymgr@cityofdubuque.org
March 30, 2011
To Whom It May Concern,
On behalf of City of Dubuque, I am to support Green Dubuque's application for the EPA Environmental
Justice Small Grant program. The Dubuque community has made sustainability a priority since 2006.
The Sustainable Dubuque vision, as defined by a community -led task force on which Green Dubuque
was represented, states that "Dubuque is viable, livable and equitable community. We embrace
economic prosperity, environmental integrity, and social /cultural vibrancy to create a sustainable legacy
for generations to come." Since this vision was adopted, Green Dubuque has been a key partner and
grassroots leader in engaging the community in a discussion and strategic planning to make our
community a more sustainable and healthy place.
The Dubuque Community Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan is a key component of an overall community
plant to set targets for sustainability, identify actions to meet those targets, and establish metrics to
measure our progress. The City of Dubuque Office of Sustainability has played a leadership role in
conducting the municipal greenhouse gas inventory, and supports the many organizations including
Green Dubuque who are working on the important community GHG inventory and reduction strategy.
The City is willing to provide assistance to this community work, but believes that in order for a strategy to
be commonly accepted by the public, it is best to come from the public.
The Dubuque Community GHG Initiative, organized by Green Dubuque, is an opportunity to engage our
community in a most critical aspect of sustainability —air quality improvement and climate mitigation and
adaptation. This project will build community understanding and support for the adoption of GHG
reduction targets, and engage the business and residential community in action planning to improve air
quality. It will not only lower community greenhouse gases and improve air quality, but will also improve
livability with numerous co- benefits including improvements in transportation, energy efficiency, and
overall community health.
I respectfully recommend that you support Green Dubuque's application, recognizing their leadership in
the area of environmental justice and helping to complete a significant portion of the community's vision
for a more Sustainable Dubuque.
Sincerely,
Cori Burbach
Sustainable Community Coordinator
THE CITY OF .
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