President Clinton and Mayor Bloomberg Announce Partnership to "Green" Buildings Across New York City

HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and NYCHA Chairman Tino Hernandez to work with the Clinton Foundation and the City of New York to make public housing energy-efficient

December 7, 2007
New York, NY

President Bill Clinton announced today that the Clinton Foundation has partnered with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to conduct building retrofits across its public housing stock to further reduce the City's carbon footprint and energy bills.

"I'm pleased to be working with Mayor Bloomberg, Secretary Jackson and the New York City Housing Authority on this program as part of my foundation's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the world," said President Clinton. "This is a step in the right direction in the fight against climate change that will reduce New York City's carbon footprint, while saving money for taxpayers and residents at the same time."

NYCHA is the largest public housing authority in North America, with nearly 11 percent of the entire public housing stock in the United States and, after the US Army, is the largest landlord in the country.

To begin the retrofitting process, a NYCHA task force will oversee the planning, design, and implementation of the joint program with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI). Working closely with CCI, the task force will develop a multi-year energy strategic plan with a timeline and milestones for implementation. CCI will help NYCHA structure agreements with energy service companies, banks, product suppliers and green building organizations to enable retrofits to be completed efficiently, quickly and inexpensively.

Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York have also committed to support the joint program with NYCHA, which will advance the Mayor's PlaNYC 2030 vision for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, while ensuring a sustainable public housing stock and quality of life for New York City residents.

"The New York City Housing Authority is home to more than 408,000 low and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs. These energy saving measures will help the Authority save money, and the environmental impact of these measures will result in cleaner, healthier air for the residents living in public housing," said Mayor Bloomberg. "These environmentally-friendly enhancements will help us do our part to put the brakes on global warming and they will also help us build a greener, greater New York."

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which regulates the procurement and funding of energy efficient products and services by NYCHA has granted NYCHA with a waiver that enables them to take advantage of the benefits of CCI's Energy Efficient Building Retrofit program.

About the Clinton Climate Initiative

Building on his long-term commitment to preserving the environment, President Clinton launched the Clinton Foundation's Climate Initiative in August 2006 with the mission of applying the Foundation's business-oriented approach to the fight against climate change in practical, measurable and significant ways. In its first phase, CCI is working with cities around the world to accelerate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In May 2007, President Clinton announced the creation of a global Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program, a project of the Clinton Climate Initiative. This program brings together eight of the world's largest energy service companies, five of the world's largest banks, and seventeen of the world's largest cities in a landmark program designed to reduce energy consumption in existing buildings. The program provides both cities and their private building owners with access to the necessary funds to retrofit existing buildings with more energy efficient products, typically leading to energy savings between 20 to 50 percent.

Read more about the Clinton Climate Initiative.