FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: March 10, 2021
Contact: Mark Castiglione, (518) 453-0850 mark@cdrpc.org 

Capital Region Municipalities Invited to Apply for Clean Energy Funding

CDRPC Eastern NY Coordinator for NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities program

Albany, N.Y. — Capital Region municipalities are invited to participate in a grant program designed to help them save energy and reduce costs by implementing clean energy projects. The Capital District Regional Planning Commission (CDRPC) is coordinating the newly launched round of the Clean Energy Communities (CEC) program in the Capital Region and is working with partners to deploy the program in the Hudson Valley, Mohawk Valley and North Country regions.

CDRPC supported the program during its previous iteration, starting in 2016, and along with its territory partners, has assisted 221 communities in completing 752 high impact action items. To date, the program has helped 131 communities achieve CEC designation and facilitated millions in municipal grant awards for clean energy projects.

“CDRPC has built a great team of organizations and communities over the years and we look forward to building on that success in round two of the Clean Energy Communities Program,” said Michael Stammel, CDRPC’s Chairman. “CDRPC is poised to work with communities familiar with program and those who might be interested in getting involved. Our team of outreach coordinators are the second set of hands making sure our communities can take full advantage of all that the CEC Leadership Round has to offer.”

CDRPC leads a multi-regional group of outreach coordinators selected by NYSERDA to implement the Leadership Round in the Capital Region, Hudson Valley, Mohawk Valley and North Country. Partner agencies include the Hudson Valley Regional Council, Mohawk Valley EDGE, and the Adirondack North Country Association. This round will help more cities, counties, towns and villages join more than 300 local governments statewide that have already been designated as Clean Energy Communities. All eligible communities can participate in the new round without local cost share and regardless of previous participation in the program.

“Albany County has received technical assistance through the Capital District Regional Planning Commission to become designated as a Clean Energy Community,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy. “This support has been instrumental in helping us successfully navigate the Clean Energy Communities Program requirements. With the support of this program we have been able to advance many of my sustainability goals, including benchmarking our building energy use, providing Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing to our local businesses, installing electric vehicle infrastructure at County facilities, beginning the electrification of our fleet and implementing an Albany County Solarize program.”

Doreen M. Harris, Acting President and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) said, “CDRPC is a valued partner and their robust network helps ensure that communities in and surrounding the Capital Region have the information and resources they need to adopt clean energy solutions that lower their carbon footprint. Through public and private partnerships we are excited to grow the number of designated Clean Energy Communities which are helping to lower energy costs and harmful emissions, and increase the use of clean, renewable energy in communities across New York.”

City of Watervliet Mayor Charles Patricelli said, “Our municipality has received technical assistance through the Capital District Regional Planning Commission. The support has been instrumental in helping us successfully navigate the Clean Energy Communities Program requirements. With the extraordinary support of this program, we were designated a certified bronze Climate Smart Community in 2014 and recertified at that level in 2019. During the recertification period in 2019, CDRPC was with us every step of the way.”

To earn CEC designation, each community must complete four high-impact actions intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save taxpayer dollars and improve quality of life for communities. Additional funding is included for disadvantaged communities through the Leadership Round in support of New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal of increasing access to clean energy and sustainable infrastructure to all end-users.

CDRPC provides objective analysis of data, trends, opportunities and challenges relevant to the Region’s economic development and planning communities. CDRPC serves the best interests of the public and private sectors by promoting intergovernmental cooperation; communicating, collaborating, and facilitating regional initiatives; and sharing information and fostering dialog on solutions to regional problems.

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