Rockland County’s Clean Energy Distinction

I’m proud to announce that Rockland has officially been named a Clean Energy Community (CEC) by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) after completing four benchmarks within the CEC program.

Rockland County became a registered CSC in 2010, committing to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions and adapt to climate change.

This County will receive a $5,000 Designation Grant for this achievement which will be used to purchase electric landscaping equipment for our Facilities Management division of the Department of General Services. The sampling of electric battery-operated equipment, such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and weed trimmers, will help the County determine how best to transition to the use of electric equipment for maintaining County grounds.

Last summer my administration along with our Division of Environmental Resources launched Rockland’s Sustainability Project. Under this initiative almost two dozen departments are working together on generating a long-term plan to improve the County’s rankings in the New York State Climate Smart Communities and Clean Energy Communities programs.

The more milestones we achieve in these programs the more grant funding we are eligible for, ultimately opening the door for more green investments without impacting the wallets of local taxpayers.

With this goal in mind, Rockland recently filed an application seeking $75,000 in funding from the New York State Climate Smart Communities (CSC) FY23 Grant Program to support work on more CSC pledge elements:

· Government Operations Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory –an accounting, analysis, and report of the GHG emissions resulting from the day-to-day operations of the County.

· Government Operations Climate Action Plan (CAP) –a strategy document that will identify priority actions and facilitate coordination across government departments to reduce operating costs, energy use, and emissions.

To better support these future actions Rockland has created a new fulltime Sustainability Coordinator position within the Department of Planning and is currently seeking qualified applicants. For more information about this role including how to apply please visit the County’s Job Opportunities page.

The new Sustainability Coordinator will be critical in reaching higher certification in both the Climate Smart Communities program and the Clean Energy Communities program. The person will focus on coordinating the efforts of multiple departments and compiling the required documentation.

In doing so, we will maximize available grant funding and guide Rockland towards a green and sustainable future as efficiently as possible, ultimately saving money for residents long-term.