U.S. EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe told mayors meeting in Washington, D.C., today that the agency wants to work with cities on a wide range of projects -- from preparing for extreme weather to putting brownfields back on the tax rolls.

"The more we can make sure that we're working in sync with the goals and objectives that mayors have, the more important and the better the partnership can be," said Perciasepe, who will become acting agency chief when Administrator Lisa Jackson steps down later this month.

In a round table with mayors at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Perciasepe played up federal-municipal partnerships aimed at promoting green infrastructure, improving wastewater management and cleaning up industrial brownfields.

"Working with the states and the local governments is just something that we just need to make a high priority in the coming year," he said.

EPA is also working with mayors on addressing stormwater overflows, an expensive proposition (Greenwire, Jan. 18).

Perciasepe spoke less about regulation than about EPA's assistance to cities, though he acknowledged that EPA regulatory activities affect city governments.

Afterward, Perciasepe fielded questions from mayors, many of whom said nice things about his pledges of cooperation.

Jon Mitchell, mayor of New Bedford, Mass., which has a large marine brownfield cleanup, said EPA could sometimes be inflexible and insensitive to cost when dealing with city governments.

"We want to make sure that whoever EPA assigns to integrated planning is someone who thinks like you," he said.