U.S. Conference of Mayors Calls Emergency Meeting on Oil Crisis: Mobile Mayor Participates

Jun 17th, 2010

Mayor Sam Jones will join other mayors along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts on June 21 in an “emergency meeting called by the U.S. Conference of Mayors” in New Orleans to show solidarity among coastal leaders and discuss the short and long-term impact on the environment and economy. They will also discuss measures to help them rally more support for coastal cities.

“We are dealing with a disaster of historic proportions,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

“The impact of this oil spill is catastrophic,” Jones said. “Mayors from New Orleans to Florida all have a common interest. We want to make sure the Gulf is cleaned and the economies of our local communities are made whole.”

The mayors will be meeting with Coast Guard and British Petroleum officials. In addition, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will give the group a boat tour to view the impact of the oil to marshes and estuaries.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution calling for the president to initiate relief measures, including an infrastructure bank to facilitate the rapid revival of affected local and regional economies and specialized worker retraining initiatives. They have also asked the Congress to provide additional resources for local clean up efforts.