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Since 2008, among the European initiatives related to energy efficiency, the Covenant of the Mayors (CoM) has been one of the most important because of the significant engagement of small municipalities. The scope of the study is to understand how adherence to the EU CoM initiative by the municipalities has affected their expenditures in supporting and developing public energy efficiency investments, focusing on the analysis of the SEAPs. Two research questions are posed: firstly, exploring which are the main fields of intervention where municipalities have oriented their action plans on energy efficiency, published in SEAP (these being public lighting, education, and public buildings); secondly, the investment expenditure related to these fields of intervention that result from the first analysis and which are increased after SEAPs approval. The sample consists of 81 SEAPs evaluated and approved by the Joint Research Centre of the EU Commission of the Italian Basilicata municipalities in 2008–2021. The main result is that the education sector exhibits significant incremental changes in investment expenditures for each period, considering that, with reasonable certainty, this depends also on the CoM initiative. • The study offers a financial conceptual framework for energy-efficient decision-making. • The study introduces an innovative approach assessing and monitoring CoM 2020. • LG CoM 2020's sustainability goal achievement assessed via stakeholder and legitimacy theory. • The results show that SEAPs boost investment, fostering SDGs. • The CoM adhesion supports virtuous behaviors in pursuing of strategic planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the financial impact of emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis Farimaire; Coleoptera: Buprestide) on municipal forestry budgets. Three distinct phases were evident: an initial time period of 0–4 years (little budget change), year 5–8 time period (rapid budget increase), and years 9–12 (rapid budget decrease) after EAB was confirmed in a state. The 5–8 year time period had increased spending as detected through the total forestry budget (p = 0.011), total municipal forestry budget (percent forestry budget) as a percentage of the total municipal budget (p < 0.001), and per capita spending (p < 0.001). A $1.58 per capita increase occurred in annual municipal forestry budgets in states in which EAB was confirmed (EAB+) compared to states without a confirmed EAB case (EAB−). This has a $280.5 (±79.9) million annual impact on municipal budgets. The percent forestry budget increased as the time since EAB was confirmed in a state increased. A mean 0.33% (0.03 SE, n = 82) percent forestry budget occurred during the initial 0–4 years after confirmation of EAB. This exponentially increased from 0.47% (0.05 SE, n = 43) in year 5 to 1.17% (0.12 SE, n = 38) at the peak in year 8, and rapidly declined back to 0.47% (0.05 SE, n = 51) in years 10–12 which was a level slightly higher than initial conditions. Federal, state, and local urban forestry managers can use these results to financially plan for the impacts of EAB on municipal forestry budgets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]