Governor Kathy Hochul in the present day introduced $8 million is now obtainable for the Local weather Sensible Communities Grant program to assist municipalities take motion to deal with local weather change. Funding is accessible for initiatives that cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions and adapt to the continuing impacts of local weather change. Eligible initiatives can embrace lowering flood danger, growing pure resiliency, relocating or retrofitting crucial infrastructure, and local weather change planning and evaluation initiatives as a part of Local weather Sensible Communities certification.
“As we proceed to see the results of local weather change and excessive climate occasions, this important funding by way of New York’s Local weather Sensible Communities Program is crucial to supporting native efforts that shield residents and strengthens infrastructure,” Governor Hochul mentioned. “These grants will assist empower locally-driven, daring motion to assist meet New York’s formidable local weather targets, whereas creating resilient communities that set an instance for different municipalities to observe.”
Established in 2016, the State Division of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Local weather Sensible Communities Grant Program is a 50/50 matching program. It helps municipalities searching for to turn into licensed Local weather Sensible Communities and implement initiatives that advance the State’s local weather change targets by lowering greenhouse gasoline emissions, mitigating flood danger, and serving to to arrange for excessive climate. This system helps the Local weather Management and Neighborhood Safety Act (Local weather Act), which requires New York to scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions 85 % under 1990 ranges by 2050. For the reason that program’s inception, DEC awarded greater than $60 million to municipalities in assist of native local weather mitigation and adaptation initiatives. Extra details about this grant program and the 2023 Request for Functions can be found on the DEC web site.
Division of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos mentioned, “New York’s communities are on the frontlines of our battle to deal with local weather change and DEC’s Local weather Sensible Communities Program supplies crucial sources to assist municipalities cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions, spend money on renewable vitality, and cut back waste. Due to Governor Hochul’s management, this subsequent spherical of considerable grant funding will present regional financial improvement investments in communities statewide and can assist native governments to affix in New York’s formidable efforts to battle local weather change, cut back vitality prices and construct more healthy, extra resilient communities.”
New York State Power Analysis and Improvement Authority (NYSERDA) President and CEO Doreen M. Harris mentioned, “Local weather Sensible Communities is a vital assist for municipalities within the battle towards local weather change, serving to them embrace a greener tomorrow by way of a variety of choices. We’re proud to work with DEC on this essential statewide program, which works in tandem with NYSERDA’s Clear Power Communities program, to maximise obtainable sources for lowering air pollution and growing sustainability whereas making certain that each one New Yorkers profit from our transition to a clear vitality economic system.”
As much as $7 million is accessible for grants of between $50,000 and $2 million for implementation of initiatives that would embrace:
- Decreasing car miles traveled;
- Decreasing meals waste;
- Decreasing hydrofluorocarbon emissions from refrigeration and different cooling gear;
- Rising pure resiliency by way of restoration or preservation of wetlands and floodplains;
- Decreasing future flood danger, together with by relocating or retrofitting crucial infrastructure;
- Making ready for excessive climate occasions, and
- Renewable vitality initiatives in municipally-owned low-income housing.
As well as, as much as $1 million is accessible for certification grants of between $10,000 and $200,000 for planning, stock, and evaluation initiatives which can be aligned with 19 particular Local weather Sensible Communities Certification actions within the areas of greenhouse gasoline mitigation, local weather adaptation, and land use.
Functions are due by 3 p.m. on July 28, 2023. To use for this newest spherical of grants, go to the New York State Consolidated Funding Software (CFA), which is accessible on-line: apps.cio.ny.gov/apps/cfa.
The Local weather Management and Neighborhood Safety Act (Local weather Act) requires that New York’s deprived communities obtain not less than 35 % of the advantages of spending on clear vitality and vitality effectivity applications, with a objective of 40 %. The Local weather Justice Working Group lately finalized standards to determine deprived communities to make sure that frontline and in any other case underserved communities profit from the state’s historic transition to cleaner sources of vitality, diminished air pollution and cleaner air, and financial alternatives. Given this essential goal of the Local weather Act, implementation initiatives occurring in deprived communities and certification initiatives occurring in municipalities with deprived communities will obtain further factors within the scoring standards for purposes for Local weather Sensible Communities grants.
These grants are half of a bigger program to assist group engagement in native local weather motion. There are presently 381 registered Local weather Sensible Communities, representing greater than 9.4 million New Yorkers. To be designated a registered group, municipalities make a dedication to behave on local weather change by passing a proper decision that features a 10-point pledge. Since 2014, 118 municipalities accomplished the rigorous overview course of to be designated as licensed Local weather Sensible Communities. These licensed communities have gone past the pledge to finish and doc a set of actions that mitigate and adapt to local weather change on the native degree. Extra details about the certification program is accessible on-line: climatesmart.ny.gov.
The Local weather Sensible Communities funding applications are supported by the State’s Environmental Safety Fund (EPF). New York’s EPF helps local weather change mitigation and adaptation efforts, improves agricultural sources to advertise sustainable agriculture, protects our water sources, advances conservation efforts, and supplies leisure alternatives for New Yorkers. Within the FY 2024 State Funds, Governor Hochul maintained EPF funding at $400 million, the very best degree of funding in this system’s historical past. The EPF additionally supplies funding for crucial environmental applications comparable to land acquisition, farmland safety, invasive species prevention and eradication, enhanced leisure entry, water high quality enchancment, and an aggressive environmental justice agenda.
NYSERDA’s Clear Power Communities program helps the Local weather Sensible Communities program, providing further methods and funding alternatives to help New York State municipalities that implement clear vitality initiatives and initiatives. A regional coordinator community supplies assist to municipalities for each applications. Be taught extra on-line.
The Local weather Sensible Communities (CSC) program is an interagency initiative of New York State and several other different state entities in sponsor this system, together with DEC, the Division of Public Service, Division of State, Division of Transportation, Division of Well being, NYSERDA, New York Energy Authority (NYPA) and the New York State Division of Houses and Neighborhood Renewal (HCR).
New York State’s Nation-Main Local weather Plan
New York State’s nation-leading local weather agenda requires an orderly and simply transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues fostering a inexperienced economic system throughout all sectors and ensures that not less than 35 %, with a objective of 40 %, of the advantages of unpolluted vitality and vitality effectivity investments are directed to deprived communities. Guided by among the nation’s most aggressive local weather and clear vitality initiatives, New York is on a path to reaching a zero-emission electrical energy sector by 2040, together with 70 % renewable vitality era by 2030, and economywide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York’s unprecedented clear vitality investments, together with greater than $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission initiatives throughout the state, $6.8 billion to scale back constructing emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up photo voltaic, greater than $1 billion for clear transportation initiatives, and over $1.8 billion in NY Inexperienced Financial institution commitments. These and different investments are supporting greater than 165,000 jobs in New York’s clear vitality sector in 2021 and a 2,100% progress within the distributed photo voltaic sector since 2011. To scale back greenhouse gasoline emissions and enhance air high quality, New York additionally adopted zero-emission car rules, together with requiring all new passenger vehicles and light-duty vans bought within the State be zero emission by 2035. Partnerships are persevering with to advance New York’s local weather motion with almost 400 registered and 100 licensed Local weather Sensible Communities, almost 500 Clear Power Communities, and the State’s largest group air monitoring initiative in 10 deprived communities throughout the state to assist goal air air pollution and fight local weather change.
