Front Page  news  metro

Saturday, June 28, 2008

City Introduces Climate Task Force


Journal Staff Report
       City Hall launched an environmental task force on Thursday that will recommend ways for local governments and residents to address global warming.
    Mayor Martin Chávez joined County Commission Chairman Alan Armijo and City Councilor Isaac Benton to announce the 35-member group, which includes representatives from Sandia National Laboratories, environmental organizations and government agencies.
    Chávez said he hopes the task force will compile a “climate action plan” within six months.
    The group’s plan should have value even to those who aren’t concerned about the environment, he said.
    The high cost of gasoline for people’s cars and trucks has contributed to the sagging U.S. economy, Chávez said, and the task force may make recommendations on mass transit. Pollution from motor vehicles is the main factor in global warming, scientists say.
    “We’re addicted to foreign oil,” Chávez said. “That’s been brought home to us all this year.”
    Armijo said that if local governments “don’t get involved, it’s not going to change nationally.”
    The task force had its first meeting Thursday in Downtown Albuquerque. It’s staffed in part by the city’s Environmental Health Department.
    The mayor said he wants recommendations on planning, mass transit and how to better coordinate among government agencies.
    “We’ve really got to prepare for a future that we all can see is changing,” Benton said.