Governor Cuomo Announces City of Buffalo and Erie County Among 16 New Certified Climate Smart Communities
Statement
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a record number of awardees for the Climate Smart Community Certification program, including the city of Buffalo and Erie County. In total, 16 local governments were recognized for successfully meeting Climate Smart criteria as climate leaders today, after more than 445 action submissions were received from communities across the state. This announcement at the Buffalo Museum of Science is part of New York's weeklong celebration of Climate Week and supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, part of the State's Green New Deal to achieve a carbon-free electricity system by 2040, and 85 percent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Governor Cuomo recognized Climate Week 2019 with a proclamation.
"Achieving the goals New York's nation-leading plan to fight climate change will only be possible if the state and local governments work together to reduce emissions and protect our communities. That is why we are continuing to partner with municipalities through this successful initiative," Governor Cuomo said. "I congratulate these 16 communities for taking bold actions and enacting ambitious policies to address climate change and build a clean energy economy at a very local level."
"Climate change is no longer debatable - our environment is suffering, and we must act collectively now," Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said. "As we gather today in Buffalo, we recognize the commitment of local governments around the state who are taking steps to address the climate crisis. These 16 new Climate Smart Communities are an important part of our statewide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve our aggressive clean energy goals. I thank the leaders of these communities for their actions to stand up for a cleaner and greener environment."
New York's Climate Smart Community (CSC) program is jointly sponsored by the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Department of State, Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Public Service. The CSC program helps local governments reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate, while offering free technical assistance, grants, and rebates for electric vehicles. For more information, visit https://climatesmart.ny.gov/.
The 16 new certified Climate Smart Communities are listed by region below:
Capital District
City of Albany and City of Watervliet
Long Island
City of Long Beach
Mid-Hudson
Town of Bedford, Dutchess County, Orange County, Village of Piermont, Village of Pleasantville, Town of Red Hook and Town of Saugerties
Southern Tier
Broome County, Town of Caroline, Town of Dryden, and Village of Montour Falls
Western New York
City of Buffalo and Erie County
Today's event at the Buffalo Museum of Science brings special attention to the accomplishments of the city of Buffalo and Erie County. Buffalo's Green Code is an excellent example of climate-smart land use: The city has installed electric vehicle charging stations throughout the city and improved infrastructure for biking and walking. As part of shifting to clean, renewable energy, the city has also installed solar photovoltaic arrays at 17 different municipal facilities.
Erie County is focused on climate action as evident though their commitment to conducting local inventories of greenhouse gas emissions, installing electric vehicle charging stations, and implementing methods to decrease energy use in their buildings. As part of evaluating their climate adaption capacity, Erie County created an online natural resource inventory and is working within the community by actively supporting the WNY Sustainable Business Roundtable and working with stakeholders on the Eric County Community Climate Change Task Force.
The specific actions that each of the 16 new certified Climate Smart Communities took to achieve certification can be viewed online by accessing their certification reports here.
Started in 2009, the CSC program provides guidance and technical support to local governments to take locally driven climate action. Currently, there are 277 registered Climate Smart Communities, representing more than eight million New Yorkers. These registered communities have taken the first step toward certification by pledging to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. The certification program was launched in 2014 to document and celebrate the accomplishments of leading communities. Since 2014, New York State has designated 37 certified Climate Smart Communities.
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "I congratulate these communities for taking such critical steps to achieve a significant milestone. Communities across New York State are seeing first-hand the negative effects of climate change and severe weather events. As we continue to find innovative ways to integrate these concerns into daily decision making, it's thrilling to see them all lead by example and complete actions that, together, add up to substantial progress toward reducing their carbon footprints."
Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA said: "The record number of Climate Smart Communities announced today show the high-level of local and regional commitment to New York's leadership stance on battling climate change under Governor Cuomo's nation-leading clean energy and climate initiatives. Across the state, communities are safeguarding our natural resources for generations to come and improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers by steadily reducing their carbon footprint and helping us move ever closer to a carbon-neutral economy."
Senator Tim Kennedy said, "As New York State pursues the most aggressive climate plan in the nation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the negative effects of climate change, the City of Buffalo and Erie County have demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting future generations by prioritizing green practices. I applaud their certifications as Climate Smart Communities, and I look forward to furthering green investments throughout Western New York and across our great state."
Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said, "Congratulations to the City of Buffalo and Erie County for being recognized as two of 16 communities in the state that are being recognized by Governor Cuomo as Climate Smart Communities. From our Green Code and electronic vehicle charging stations here in Buffalo, to creating more walkable and bike friendly communities, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we take pride in creating a more environmentally sustainable community for future generations."
State Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation Chair Steve Englebright said, "Meaningful statewide climate action needs the support of all levels of government to succeed - most especially local governments. From installing electric vehicle charging stations to generating clean renewable energy from installations on municipal buildings and other sites, Climate Smart communities are an important partner to achieve our State's energy goals. I applaud the 16 new certified Climate Smart Communities from all regions of the state for stepping forward to help move New York into a clean energy future."
City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said,"One of the most important actions an elected leader can take today is their response to the crisis of global climate change. The City of Buffalo's designation as a Climate Smart Community demonstrates how my Administration has responded to this challenge so far but also provides a roadmap for future actions we will take to further mitigate the negative impacts climate change will have on our region. I want to thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership and vision in making New York State a leader in the fight against greenhouse gas emissions and investing in clean energy production."
Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said,"Erie County's leadership in climate action is evident through its focus on conducting local inventories of greenhouse gas emissions and completing a government operations climate action plan. The county brought down local emissions by installing electric vehicle charging stations and by implementing various actions to decrease energy use, especially in its buildings. As part of evaluating its climate adaptation capacity, Erie County created a highly accessible online natural resources inventory. Additionally, the County is working within the community on mitigating climate change by actively supporting the WNY Sustainable Business Roundtable, as well as working collaboratively with a broad range of stakeholders on the Erie County Community Climate Change Task Force."
The recently passed Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) mandates the Green New Deal's national leading clean energy targets: six gigawatts of distributed solar by 2025, three gigawatts of energy storage by 2030, nine gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035 and while calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy. The CLCPA also directs New York State agencies and authorities to collaborate with stakeholders to develop a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 and aim to invest 40 percent of clean energy and energy efficiency program resources to benefit disadvantaged communities.
New York State's Green New Deal
Governor Cuomo's Green New Deal is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, putting the state on a path to being entirely carbon-neutral across all sectors of the economy and establishing a goal to achieve a zero-carbon emissions electricity sector by 2040, faster than any other state. It builds on New York's unprecedented ramp-up of clean energy including a $2.9 billion investment in 46 large-scale renewable projects across the state, the creation of more than 150,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector, a commitment to develop nearly 1,700 megawatts of offshore wind by 2024, and 1,700 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2012.
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