Survey Seeks Public Input To Guide the Plan; Public Info Session/Webinar July 10

KINGSTON, NY - Ulster County is pleased to announce the development of a Countywide Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP). The plan will be under development throughout the summer and fall, with a final plan expected by the end of 2024. A Climate Action Plan — which is in line with New York’s Climate Law — is a strategy document that inventories climate-damaging greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sets forth actions that can be taken to reduce these emissions.

Public participation is an important element of the planning process. Input from a community survey, as well as focus groups and community forums this summer, will guide prioritization of impactful programs and investments. 

Members of the public can engage with this project, share ideas online and complete the public CCAP Survey through an interactive Participate Ulster page, here: https://participate.ulstercountyny.gov/community-climate-action-plan.

A public presentation on the CCAP will be held on Wednesday, July 10, at 7-8 p.m. via Zoom (pre-registration is required). Attendees at the public webinar, which will include an interactive polling session, will learn about the purpose of the Community Climate Action Plan, the current status of the project, and next steps. To register for the webinar, visit: bit.ly/4bxs8lM.

“Many of the solutions to climate change also have other benefits for our communities, like improving public health, reducing energy costs, and expanding access to public transportation, to name a few, and we want to hear from our residents about the climate solutions they would like to see the County government prioritize," said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “This is a community-driven plan, and I invite our residents to participate by attending public meetings, taking the Climate Action Plan survey, and sharing your ideas with us.”

The County completed a Government Operations Climate Action Plan in 2019 that inventories emissions from government facilities and operations and recommends actions for reducing those emissions. In January 2023, County Executive Metzger issued an Executive Order that builds on that plan, with 13 directives to reduce climate-damaging emissions and align County climate goals with New York's Climate Act. The County has since strengthened its Green Fleet Policy, adopted a more stringent Sustainable Purchasing Policy, and created the first County Decarbonization Fund in the state — an $18 million reserve to improve energy efficiency and reduce fossil fuel use in government buildings, among other actions.  

The County is now embarking on the next step to assess community-level emissions across different sectors, including transportation, residential energy, agriculture, and solid waste. To learn more about this project, visit: 

participate.ulstercountyny.gov/community-climate-action-plan. 

The Ulster County CCAP has been funded in part by the Climate Smart Communities Grant Program, Title 15 of the Environmental Protection Fund, through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.