Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton today congratulated Oshkosh Mayor Frank Tower and the Oshkosh City Council for passing a resolution signing on to the United States Council of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

"With a vacuum of leadership at the national level, it becomes clear that cities and states must lead the way," Lt. Governor Lawton said. "I thank and congratulate my colleagues in Oshkosh - Mayor Tower and all the members of the City Council - for making this important commitment."

Oshkosh joins 667 cities, including 14 others in Wisconsin, to sign on to the agreement. The agreement, first presented in 2005, pledges mayors and city leaders to:

* Strive 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;

* Urge their state governments, 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 -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012; and

* Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system

Lt. Governor Lawton led a similar effort on the national level earlier this year. In her position as vice chair of the National Lieutenant Governor's Association, she authored and introduced the NLGA Energy Independence and Climate Protection Resolution, which garnered bipartisan support and overwhelming passage. A copy of the resolution is available at www.ltgov.wisconsin.gov.

"America's dependence on petroleum - most of which we import from the most politically volatile regions of the world - threatens our national and economic security," Lt. Governor Lawton said. "By developing renewable energy sources , we create the potential to build our economy and create jobs for the future - not in desert oil fields or on offshore drilling rigs, but in our communities, right here in Wisconsin and around the United States. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Oshkosh to put Wisconsin in the lead."

"I'm proud of my neighbors in Oshkosh for taking the lead on this issue," said Representative Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh). "Energy independence is one of the most vital issues we'll face in the next decade, and leaders at every level of government and the private sector will have to tackle it head-on. I'm proud that my hometown has joined the fight."