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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Mayor Nickels announces plans to reduce energy use in buildings and create customer bill of rights for Seattle residents
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
2/19/2008 10:00:00 AM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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Mayor Nickels announces plans to
reduce energy use in buildings &
create customer bill of rights for Seattle residents
Initiatives unveiled in Nickels’ 2008 State of the City address
SEATTLE – Today Mayor Greg Nickels announced two new initiatives in his 2008 State of the City address. He pledged to make Seattle the nation’s “Green Building Capital” through a new program that will improve the energy-efficiency of existing buildings, provide cost-savings for ratepayers and create new green jobs. Nickels also announced his intention to create a customer service “Bill of Rights” to improve the way the city helps residents.
The state of the city is “stronger than ever,” Nickels declared in his annual address, which celebrated innovation -- a trait that runs deep in the foundation of Seattle's soul. “As a city, we are driven to confront the problems we face, no matter the scale,” Nickels said. “We prosper because we challenge conventional wisdom. And when we put our minds to it, we overcome the intractable.”
Nickels delivered the speech at the Pacific Science Center's Ackerley Family Exhibit Gallery before a crowd of 200 at a special joint meeting of the City Council’s Parks and Seattle Center committee and the Environment, Emergency Management and Utilities committee.
Nickels noted Seattle is showing how one city can turn the tide on global warming. Last fall he announced Seattle had reduced its carbon emissions by 8 percent below where they were in 1990. “ It was a moment to celebrate. But more importantly, it was a moment to recommit ourselves to overcoming the challenges ahead. If we do nothing more, we will lose ground over the next few years as more people move to our city. And to truly save the planet, we must go an order of magnitude beyond the goals of Kyoto and cut our emissions 80 percent by 2050.”
Along with cars, the major sources of climate pollution in our region are our homes and buildings. “ Seattle is the nation’s leader in new green buildings. But most of the places where we live, work and shop are already built,” Nickels said. “ To meet our climate goals, we must find innovative ways to unlock the doors to energy conservation in the homes and businesses that exist today.” Nickels intends to do this through his Green Building Capital program, which has three goals:
- Improve energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings by 20 percent.
- Provide real cost savings for property owners who will see their heating bills drop as waste is reduced.
- Create new green jobs for those working to make our homes, offices and stores more energy efficient.
Nickels acknowledged this will not be an easy task and the city cannot do it alone. This spring he will call together a diverse panel of community members to help the city develop the right approach for achieving these goals. “Seattle will continue to lead the way on reducing greenhouse gasses,” Nickels said. “We will show the world how.”
Despite all of Seattle's innovations, there is one place where city government has not kept pace – customer service. “Some people say government isn’t a business; we don’t have customers,” Nickels said. “I think the 600,000 people who live here, pay taxes, and contribute to the life of our city would disagree.”
Nickels intends to change the customer service culture of city government from “sorry, not my problem,” to one of rolling up our sleeves and fixing the problem. He announced that in the next few months he will seek the public’s help in creating a Customer Bill of Rights for our city. “ The principles will help to create an open, responsive and accessible government that serves all of our residents, regardless of their language, their income or their neighborhood,” Nickels said.
In his speech, Nickels also highlighted accomplishments in several areas:
- Building the Roads Ahead. 2007 saw the first year of results from the Bridging the Gap initiative, including more than three times the amount of lane miles paved in a single year and the addition of 20 miles of bike lanes, trails and sharrows. In addition, the South Lake Union line of the Seattle Streetcar began running in December and its popularity has led to demand for an expanded streetcar network.
- Creating Jobs & Economic Opportunities. Northgate, the University District, Southeast Seattle and South Lake Union are all undergoing revitalization and prospering. The Industrial Jobs Initiative now protects our industrial lands and the family-wage jobs they support.
- Getting Prepared. Thanks to the Fire Levy, Seattle is investing in the people and facilities we’ll need the most when the unthinkable happens. The city’s new Emergency Operations Center, completed last December, formally opens this month and will allow Seattle to coordinate emergency responses and keep the public informed in an emergency.
- Keeping Seattle Safe. In January, the mayor announced Seattle’s crime rate fell 14 percent in 2007 to the lowest it had been since 1968. The Neighborhood Policing program will give officers the tools they need to continue doing their jobs and keeping our neighborhoods safe. We are working with the community to reduce the toll of youth and gang violence in our city and working with communities across the state to build a nonpartisan coalition that will work to implement new and innovative ways to reduce gun violence.
- A Legacy for People and Parks. Park rangers, added activities and attractions, more investments and new security measures in our Center City Parks will ensure everyone feels safe and welcome in our parks. We’re finding new ways to add open space, such as buying the U.S. Navy’s Capehart housing in Discovery Park, and building new parks atop reservoirs. By 2010, new parks will sit atop the Beacon and Myrtle reservoirs, adding 30 new acres. When all the remaining reservoirs are covered by 2013, we will have added 100 new acres to our city’s park system.
- Affordable Seattle. The mayor’s affordable Seattle strategy is built around three important elements: renewing the Housing Levy; expanding our Homes Within Reach program; adopting incentive zoning so that development in our fastest-growing neighborhoods creates housing for all.
For a full copy of the speech, go to: http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/speeches/stateofcity2008.htm
Visit the mayor’s Web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor’s inside view on efforts to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm
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Office of the Mayor
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