Clean Water Innovations Anchored by the Center for Urban Waters
At the Center for Urban Waters, world class laboratories are creating, evaluating, and applying the best possible scientific and engineering clean water technologies to protect and restore Puget Sound and to lead development of solutions for all urban coastal communities. The Center supports innovative surface water projects across the community making Tacoma a leader in green infrastructure such as downtown rain gardens and the nation’s highest concentration of Greenroads™.
The City supports legislation that would acknowledge and build upon innovative stormwater work such as that being done at the Center for Urban Waters and applauds the leadership in Washington’s congressional delegation to introduce legislation that would protect the water quality of Puget Sound.
Commitment to Reducing Greenhouse Gases and Combatting Climate Change
Tacoma has been long committed to reducing greenhouse gases since becoming a signatory to the 2005 Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement. Under the agreement, participating cities commit to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns; to urge their state government, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol, and to urge the U.S. Congress to pass bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation.
In December 2015, mayors from 115 countries gathered in Paris, France to affirm their commitment to address climate disruption. In 2018, Tacoma again stands with The United States Conference of Mayors in calling upon the Trump Administration and Congress to support the fight against climate change by fully committing themselves to Paris Climate Accord, the Clean Power Plan, the Clean Energy Incentive Program, and other efforts that will provide cities the tools they need to combat climate change.