Corey O'Connor details sustainability, resilience and climate policy

Pittsburgh mayoral candidate Corey O’Connor discussed his sustainability, resilience and climate policy on Tuesday and said that climate action cannot take a back seat.O’Connor, the challenger in the Democratic primary, spoke about how he wants to make sure the Green Initiative Trust Fund has enough funds. He said this funds energy audits and capital improvements for city facilities. He said that, as of now, it only has $10,000 in it.”As the city invests further in energy efficiency measures and sees savings, a portion of those savings should be deposited into the trust fund which will, in turn, be used to finance additional energy efficiency projects or surpluses,” O’Connor said. “This will allow the green infrastructure trust fund to serve as a revolving loan fund to support the city’s modernization efforts.”WATCH TONIGHT: WTAE hosts a Democratic mayoral debate with Ed Gainey & Corey O’ConnorAdditionally, O’Connor spoke about how the city’s climate action plan needs updates, and said it has not been updated since 2018.He also said he wants to use the city’s resources to better address climate change.”I want to lead a city where we prove our commitment to climate justice by investing in our most climate-impacted neighborhoods. I want us to develop regional workforce partnerships to ensure we have people who can plan for, build, maintain the necessary green infrastructure of our future,” O’Connor said.Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 has reached out to Mayor Ed Gainey’s office for comment.