Funding Advances State’s Climate Action with Support for Local Projects to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Adapt to Climate Change

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar today announced today more than $16 million in Climate Smart Communities Grant awards to municipalities across the state as part of Round XIV of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative. The grant awards announced today represent the largest ever awarded since the program was created thanks to funding from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 (Environmental Bond Act). The funded projects will help New York advance the emission-reduction targets under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) and support local projects to reduce pollution, decrease flood risk, improve infrastructure, and enhance climate resilience in communities. 

“Municipalities that participate in the Climate Smart Communities Grant program are taking local climate action to reduce pollution and protect New Yorkers from severe weather and other climate impacts,” Interim Commissioner Mahar said. “Reducing harmful emissions while advancing climate equity in communities statewide is critical to improving health and quality of life for residents. DEC is proud of its partnerships with municipal leaders and community members to support new and bolster sustained efforts to realize a cleaner, greener, and more resilient future for New York State.”  

Established in 2016, DEC’s Climate Smart Communities (CSC) Grant program supports municipalities seeking to implement climate change adaptation and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation projects, as well as undertake certain planning actions toward becoming certified Climate Smart Communities. The Climate Smart Communities Grant program supports the Climate Act, which requires New York to reduce GHG emissions 85 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Since the program’s inception, DEC has awarded more than $87 million to municipalities in support of local climate mitigation and adaptation projects. More information about the CSC Grant program can be found here.

The 2024 Climate Smart Communities grant awards include the following:

Capital Region

City of Albany - $2,000,000 

Albany will introduce a variety of complete streets enhancements to better accommodate the high volume of pedestrians and cyclists using Washington Park. Work will be based on recommendations from the Bicycle Master Plan and the Washington Park Area Complete Streets Study. 

 

Columbia County - $60,000 

Columbia County will complete local government operations and community GHG inventories to establish a baseline of current emissions in the county and prepare local government operations and community-wide climate action plans that will recommend policies and other actions to reduce these emissions. 

 

Town of Lexington - $1,131,662 

Lexington will construct a new highway garage outside the floodplain at the town’s salt storage site. The town's previous highway facility was severely damaged during Tropical Storm Irene when five feet of water flooded the structure. The town's highway staff have been operating out of an inadequate temporary building with very limited usable space ever since.  

 

Town of Taghkanic - $136,435 

Taghkanic will replace an undersized, failing culvert along Taghkanic-Churchtown Road. Due to its poor condition, structural failure of the culvert during a future storm is likely. The site was identified as a priority in the town's road stream crossing vulnerability assessment.  

 

Warren County - $99,253 

Warren County will construct and operate a pilot municipal composting facility. This project is a recommendation of the county’s organics management plan, completed in 2023. Data collected from this pilot project will inform the feasibility of creating a permanent, centralized, regional composting facility in the county. 

 

Central New York

Town of Geddes - $1,749,613 

Geddes will install sidewalk extensions from surrounding residential neighborhoods to State Fair Boulevard and provide improved multi-modal connectivity between current and future developments along the corridor, such as the State Fairgrounds, Lakeview Amphitheater, and other commercial entities.  

 

Town of Georgetown - $1,248,000 

Georgetown will relocate its highway garage, currently located within the 100-year floodplain of Otselic Creek, and rebuild a highly efficient, new building on higher ground. The current facility has experienced several flooding events. 

 

Town of Minetto - $54,140 

Minetto will make improvements to nearly 550 linear feet of sidewalks throughout the town. The sidewalk improvements will allow improved walkability including connecting pedestrians with numerous amenities and services.  

 

Village of Pulaski - $2,000,000 

Pulaski will construct a sidewalk network that will connect nine activity centers within the community. A pedestrian bridge will connect two parks along the route. Currently there are either no sidewalks or the existing sidewalks are substandard.  

 

Finger Lakes 

City of Canandaigua - $84,000 

Canandaigua will complete a climate vulnerability assessment (CVA) for the Sucker Brook Watershed to advance ongoing efforts to adapt to severe flooding experienced in the watershed. The CVA will include a detailed flood analysis, development of concept designs for upland flood resilience projects, and recommend local regulatory changes that advance resilience and floodplain management. 

 

Town of Gates - $157,500 

The Town of Gates will complete a climate vulnerability assessment and a climate adaptation plan. These plans will build local capacity to respond to climate change, identify specific challenges within the town, and work toward implementation of prioritized actions.  

 

Town of Penfield - $60,000 

Penfield will complete four Climate Smart Community Certification actions – government operations and community greenhouse gas inventories and government operations and community climate action plans – to define climate challenges, establish metrics for progress, and develop strategies to improve and expand efforts to reduce emissions in the building, transportation, energy, and waste sectors.  

 

City of Rochester - $1,239,200 

Rochester is redeveloping the Bull's Head area, including improvements to the surrounding street network. The project will construct continuous cycle tracks (dedicated off-street bicycle facilities separated from motor traffic) on West Main, Genesee, and Brown streets. The cycle tracks will be a key part of the city's 63-mile Bicycle Spine Network. 

 

Long Island

Town of Brookhaven - $650,000 

Brookhaven will acquire nearly 20 acres of old growth forested land and freshwater wetlands along the Forge River to protect a well field, mitigate impacts from sea level rise, and provide flood mitigation during severe storm events. 

 

Mid-Hudson
Town of Fallsburg - $186,794
Fallsburg will replace a culvert in the Sheldrake Stream watershed. The two-pipe structure has an offset alignment that causes water to leave the channel during high-water events. The culvert is located along a busy route connecting to state and county roads for commuters, school buses, and tourists. 

City of New Rochelle - $300,000
New Rochelle will expand and improve on a pilot food scrap recycling program. These improvements will include installing a storage shed, water lines, sanitary cleaning equipment, and concrete pads for the collection areas at the two collection sites. The project will also include public engagement sessions, creation of marketing and educational materials, and other enhancements to encourage citizens to participate in food scraps composting. 

City of New Rochelle - $100,000
New Rochelle will complete a fleet inventory and fleet efficiency policy. The city currently has a piecemeal fleet inventory that does not provide an accurate assessment of all vehicles nor a clear plan to identify and replace current vehicles with zero-emissions vehicles.

City of New Rochelle - $100,000
New Rochelle will create a climate adaptation plan. This plan will build on the previously completed climate vulnerability assessment to develop action items that address relevant hazards and provide guidance on leveraging resources to implement actions.  

City of New Rochelle - $80,000 

New Rochelle will develop an organics management plan, which will be one component of the City’s development of a solid waste management plan (SWMP). The goal of the SWMP is to evaluate the city’s refuse and recycling collection process, routes, and composition, as well as the pilot food scraps recycling program and recommend changes that will increase organics diversion.  

 

Village of Sleepy Hollow - $50,000 

Sleepy Hollow will complete a climate vulnerability assessment to better define the most significant climate risks and develop a framework for implementing adaptation and mitigation projects, with a focus on stormwater management and green infrastructure.  

 

Village of Tarrytown - $663,200 

Tarrytown will create a community cooling center at the existing senior center. This project includes replacing the current HVAC system with a split system heat pump and installing energy-saving thermal ceiling tiles, a building management system, and solar panels combined with a back-up battery storage unit for times of power outages.  

 

Village of Tivoli - $672,000 

Tivoli will construct storm drainage system improvements in the Feroe Avenue area, increasing the capacity of the system to alleviate nuisance flooding.  

 

Village of Warwick - $25,000 

Warwick will complete a climate vulnerability assessment, and a climate adaptation plan to identify and mitigate climate-related risks to the community, ensuring resilience and sustainability for future generations.  

 

Westchester County - $115,772 

Westchester County will coordinate a collaborative working group of nine municipalities that will each complete and adopt local government operations greenhouse gas emissions inventories and local government operations climate actions plans.  

 

Mohawk Valley 

City of Oneonta - $1,669,135 

The City and Town of Oneonta will construct pedestrian and bike improvements along the James F. Lettis/Leslie G. Foster Highway and Routes 23 and 28, linking the city's urban center and the town’s Southside commercial area.  

 

New York City 

City of New York - $200,000 

New York City will develop a methodology and report for incorporating Scope 3 emissions into their existing local government operations greenhouse gas inventory. The focus will include embodied carbon, food, air, marine travel, and renewable energy credits. 

 

North Country 

Town of Colton - $186,000 

Colton will replace 1,715 feet of sidewalk along NY-56 with new, five-foot-wide ADA-compliant sidewalks. The existing sidewalk is in various states of disrepair and cannot be properly maintained due to its unlevel surface. Creating a safe pedestrian corridor along this route was identified as a need in a recent community-wide walkability survey.  

 

Village of Potsdam - $104,000 

Potsdam will complete three certification actions – comprehensive plan with sustainability elements, complete streets policy, and planning for bicycling and walking – to guide the community's growth and development in the face of rapid changes due to ongoing economic and demographic shifts. The village is investing in resilience and sustainable development through application of smart growth principles. 

 

Western New York

City of Buffalo - $1,600,000 

Buffalo is expanding the City’s existing pilot program for residential curbside collection of food scraps, called “Scrap It!” The expansion aims to enroll up to 10,000 new residents in the program and divert 34 percent of the city’s organic waste from the landfill over the course of the project.

About the Climate Smart Communities Program
Funding for the CSC Grant program is supported by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act. Eligible projects can include reducing flood risk, relocating or retrofitting critical infrastructure, reducing emissions from food waste, and climate change planning and assessment as part of the Climate Smart Communities Certification program. Grant recipients must provide at least 50 percent of the total costs for most projects. To advance climate equity, the 2024-25 State Budget authorized DEC to provide up to 80 percent of the cost of municipal projects that meet the criteria for financial hardship and for projects located in disadvantaged communities.  

The CSC Grant program is one component of the larger, interagency Climate Smart Communities program, which is jointly sponsored by DEC, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, New York Power Authority, Department of State, Department of Health, Department of Transportation, Department of Public Service, and Division of Homes and Community Renewal. The interagency program also provides Climate Smart Communities Certification and technical assistance. Established in 2009, the interagency Climate Smart Communities program provides guidance and technical support to local governments to take locally driven climate action. The first step to becoming a Climate Smart Community is to register by pledging to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. To date, more than 430 local governments representing nearly 9.6 million New Yorkers, or approximately 50 percent of the State’s population, have adopted the Climate Smart Communities pledge. 

Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Grant Program
The Municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Grant program, which provides grants to cities, towns, villages and counties to install hydrogen fuel filling station components and Level 2 and direct current fast charge electric vehicle supply equipment for public use, is accepting applications until 4 p.m. on February 28, 2025, through the CFA here. More information can be found on DEC’s website here. 

New York State's Climate Agenda
New York State's climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation, and waste sectors.

About the Consolidated Funding Application
The Consolidated Funding Application was created to streamline and expedite the grant application process. The CFA process marks a fundamental shift in the way state resources are allocated, ensuring less bureaucracy and greater efficiency to fulfill local economic development needs. The CFA serves as the single-entry point for access to economic development funding, ensuring applicants no longer have to slowly navigate multiple agencies and sources without any mechanism for coordination. Now, economic development projects use the CFA as a support mechanism to access multiple state funding sources through one application, making the process quicker, easier, and more productive. Learn more about the CFA here.

About the Regional Economic Development Councils

The Regional Economic Development Council initiative is a key component of the State’s approach to State investment and economic development. In 2011, 10 Regional Councils were established to develop long-term strategic plans for economic growth for their regions. The Councils are public-private partnerships made up of local experts and stakeholders from business, academia, local government, and non-governmental organizations. The Regional Councils have redefined the way New York invests in jobs and economic growth by putting in place a community-based, bottom-up approach and establishing a competitive process for State resources. Learn more at regionalcouncils.ny.gov.   

Funding for this program was included in Round XIV of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative. The REDC process continues to support and empower regional stakeholders in developing strategic plans and funding priorities that meet local economic needs. Regional Councils reviewed projects from this program and provided scores that reflect how well a project aligns with a region’s goals and strategies. Applicants utilized the New York’s Consolidated Funding Application, the state’s single application for state resources, which includes programs for numerous agencies. It is designed to provide expedited and streamlined access to a combined pool of grant funds and tax credits from dozens of existing programs. A full list of Round XIV awards that have been made can be found here.