WASHINGTON, December 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Led by U.S. Conference of Mayors President Seattle (WA) Mayor Greg Nickels, a delegation of U.S. Mayors including the organization's Vice President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, Second Vice President Los Angeles (CA) Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Past President Trenton (NJ) Mayor Douglas Palmer, will attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) and deliver remarks at other international events including the Copenhagen Climate Summit for Mayors and sessions sponsored by the European Commission.

In addition to attending COP-15 sessions and official workshops, The U.S. Conference of Mayors leaders will be joining with mayors from all over the world at the Copenhagen Climate Summit for Mayors, where the Conference will be honoring Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Ritt Bjerregaard at a December 14th event sponsored by the organization.

Conference of Mayors Vice President Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz will present the keynote address to a European Union Committee of the Regions (COR) session on Wednesday, December 16, at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, the venue of the COP 15 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Mayor Kautz addressed the Committee of the Regions Meeting of its Parliament in October 2009. As she did in October, Mayor Kautz will describe the central role of U.S. Mayors in climate protection efforts in the nation and in defining the national government's agenda on this issue.

U.S. Conference of Mayors President Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Conference of Mayors Second Vice President Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Past President Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will also play central roles in the Climate Summit for Mayors.

Conference President Nickels will chair a round-table session on citizen engagement in climate protection. Second Vice President Villaraigosa will focus on energy efficiency and public-private partnerships in climate protection. Mayor Palmer, who has repeatedly won national recognition for his brownfields rehabilitation and reclamation programs, as well as other climate protection innovations, will contribute insights into mayoral leadership strategies. Mayor Bloomberg will describe how his city is pioneering in programs to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran said, This COP 15 United Nations Climate Change Conference is significant for many reasons, including increasingly strong recognition of how mayors throughout the world are foremost in efforts to save our planet. We are pleased at the great opportunity for U.S. mayors and mayors of other countries to share their leadership strategies to stem climate change and push national agendas in this area.

Conference President Nickels, founder of the U.S. Mayors climate movement, has led more than 1,000 U.S. Mayors to join as signatories to the Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement -- a landmark commitment to act to reduce carbon emissions in U.S. cities consistent with the Kyoto Protocol. This effort was originated in February of 2005 with 141 original mayoral signers symbolizing the 141 countries that signed the Kyoto Treaty. As a result of this agreement, U.S. Mayors have embraced many innovative actions to make their cities more energy efficient and less carbon dependent.

The U. S. Conference of Mayors sponsored event will be held Monday, December 14th at Axelborg Banquet Hall from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and is open to the media (please see the number above for access).

WHO: Seattle, WA Mayor Greg Nickels, USCM President Burnsville, MN Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, USCM Vice President Los Angeles, CA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, USCM Second Vice President Trenton, NJ Mayor Douglas Palmer, USCM Past President New York, NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg Tom Cochran, USCM Executive Director and CEO WHAT: Reception and Buffet Dinner Honoring Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Ritt Bjerregaard WHEN: Monday, December 14, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. WHERE: The Axelborg Banquet Hall Vesterbrogade 4A 1620 Kobenhaven V, Denmark

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor.

SOURCE: U.S. Conference of Mayors

CONTACT: Debra Dehaney Howard (Copenhagen), +1-301-706-0234,ddehaney@usmayors.org, or Elena Temple (U.S.), +1-202-309-4906,etemple@usmayors.org, both of the U.S. Conference of Mayors