The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNYRPDB) has received nearly $500,000 from the US EPA Climate Showcase Communities program to provide financial and technical assistance over the next three years to nine local municipalities to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases.
Each year, the CNYRPDB will competitively award sub-grants to three local governments to support energy efficiency retrofits, measures to introduce alternative-fuel vehicles and fueling systems, vehicle travel reduction projects, or transportation efficiency improvements.
Those awarded sub-grants will be required to develop a climate action plan, apply for financial and technical assistance through programs offered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and receive training on no-cost evaluation tools such as ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager. The program will encourage these governments to adopt community planning controls to support GHG emission reductions from local residents, businesses, and institutions. To help them meet these requirements, CNYRPDB will provide technical assistance throughout the process and publish a Municipal Energy Planning Guide to highlight case studies of projects funded through the sub-grants.
Read the article on syracuse.com, or read the follow-up to the grant announcement.