Erie County s Climate Initiatives

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1 Erie County s Climate Initiatives

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3 Energy Committee

4 County LED lighting projects have reduced energy and maintenance costs.

5 Internal LED Lighting was installed at the Old County Hall.

6 In 2017, Erie County installed high efficiency boilers at the County Office Building.

7 The ECC STEM Building incorporates sustainable design principles and will meet LEED Silver criteria.

8 Construction of a 2 MW solar array at the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden.

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10 In 2017, the Paper Reduction Contest inspired changes that saved the County approximately $45,000 in printing and paper costs.

11 The Poloncarz Administration has championed green initiatives, both to address climate change and to drive efficiency and fiscal savings.

12 WNY SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE Mission: To foster collaborations that enable our member businesses to act on their sustainability goals, maintain profitability, and promote a healthy community.

13 Executive Order #17 June 2, 2017

14 Executive Order #17 June 2, 2017 NOW, THEREFORE, I MARK C. POLONCARZ, Erie County Executive, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Erie County Charter 301 & 302, do hereby order as follows: 1. It is ordered and affirmed that the Department of Environment and Planning, Division of Environmental Compliance, and the Department of Public Works, through its various divisions and the Director of Energy Development and Management, by December 31, 2017, prepare a report to the undersigned promulgating an initial energy usage plan for Erie County to implement the United States target contribution plan to the Paris Agreement, including, but not limited to, achieving a county-wide target of reducing Erie County s greenhouse gas emissions by twenty-six to twenty-eight percent (26-28%) below its 2005 level in 2025 and to make best efforts to reduce its emissions by twenty-eight percent (28%), as it pertains to the production and/or use of greenhouse gases by Erie County.

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16 Internal Operations 2005 versus 2014 GHG Emissions by Source

17 Why is Erie County, as a government, interested in sustainability? Because our operations have a large footprint. -Population: 925,528 (more than 5 states) -Maintain 2,400 lane miles of roads (more than 3 states) -Maintain 290 bridges greater than 20 feet (largest County inventory in NYS) -220 County buildings -4,860,757 kilowatt hours (kwh) in ,340 hundred cubic feet (ccf) of natural gas in 2016

18 Large footprint continued: -1,195 County-owned vehicles consumed 550,000 gallons of fuel in Our Division of Sewerage Management treats 10 billion gallons of sewage annually -The County employs 5,500+ staff who commute 2 million miles per year -More than 300,000 residents are served by the Social Services programs -We lead by example 3 cities, 25 towns and 16 villages within the County If Erie County was a business it would be one of the largest in WNY in regards to workforce and bottom line a $1.7 billion entity!

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20 GHG Inventory Community

21 Erie County will be joining Rochester, Albany and Pittsburgh in committing to the Sierra Club s Ready for 100 campaign, which pledges obtaining 100 percent of our electric power from renewable sources by 2025.

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23 Now, our focus is both internal and external. Erie County is including the mitigation of climate change in the community as part of our efforts. Now we have three work groups: Green Team internal Energy Committee internal Paris Committee external The Paris Committee will refocus existing County programs, develop new programs, and work with community partners and local governments to meet the County s community climate mitigation targets.

24 Opportunity for Reducing GHG Emissions - Transportation

25 PACE Financing WHAT IS PACE? Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a financing mechanism that enables low-cost, longterm funding for energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation projects.

26 Learning from Others

27 Engaging the Community Local governments - training

28 Resiliency

29 Thanks to our partners! NYSDEC, Office of Climate Change NYSERDA USEPA, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics City of Buffalo University at Buffalo Sustainability Office Regional Institute, Renew Institute Collaboratory for a Regenerative Economy Erie County Environmental Management Council Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable Tonawanda Tomorrow New York State Pollution Prevention Institute Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Urban Sustainability Directors Network Advocacy groups, such as Citizens for Regional Transit and GoBike