The Erie County Department of Environment and Planning (“ECDEP”) has announced the release of the county’s Community Climate Action Plan (“CCAP”), the product of a three-year collaborative process involving over 100 stakeholders. The CCAP will guide Erie County as it takes actions to reduce climate pollution and to protect the community from the impacts of a changing climate. The County already has a widely acclaimed climate action program for its government operations, which includes but is not limited to waste reduction initiatives, installation of heat pumps on County-owned buildings and the purchase of fleet electric vehicles.  With this new community-wide plan, Erie County will broaden its efforts to focus more on community-facing actions. 

“We are thankful to all the volunteers, staff, and stakeholders for their work and dedication to develop this plan and to the county residents who provided feedback. This open process ensured the integration of diverse perspectives and valuable community input,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “The CCAP will directly inform the County’s important efforts to protect our community and to lead our region toward a more sustainable future.”

The Community Climate Change Task Force, a committee of the Erie County Environmental Management Council, guided the development of the plan. Ten working groups, made up of county staff, community stakeholders, university researchers, utilities, and a local business organization developed each chapter. Chapters include:

• Agriculture & Food Systems
• Climate Justice
• Climate Resiliency
• Commercial Energy Conservation & Renewable Energy
• Communicating Progress
• Consumption & Waste Reduction
• Economic & Workforce Development
• Housing & Neighborhood Resiliency
• Nature Based Solutions
• Transportation

County officials first presented the draft plan to the public last spring, followed by a three-month public comment period. The plan received more than 300 public comments with most commenters expressing support.  Volunteer workgroups then worked with staff to consider every comment that was received.

The plan will now be submitted to the Erie County Legislature for consideration and adoption, following the process that led to the adoption of the county’s Climate Action & Sustainability Plan (“CASP”) for internal operations in 2019.

Immediate priorities for 2024 include:

• investments in community centers and libraries to make them more resilient during cold and heat events using a new Community Climate Fund as proposed in the county budget;
• rolling out a community energy program to reduce energy costs and increase access to renewable energy for low- and moderate-income residents;  
• conducting a heat emergency plan; and
• kicking off a community tree program.

The plan also lays the groundwork for the county to secure additional federal and state resources to accelerate additional initiatives.  

“The Erie County Community Climate Action Plan provides a vital roadmap for community-facing efforts to reduce climate pollution and make the community more resilient to extreme weather,” explained Dan Castle, Commissioner of the Department of Environment & Planning. “This builds on long-standing efforts by the County to make our region safe and sustainable.”

“While today marks the launch of the plan, this is a living document and public feedback will continue to be welcomed on the plan’s implementation,” Castle added. “We strongly encourage everyone to review the plan on the County website.”

County residents can view the entire plan at www.erie.gov/climateaction  and can submit feedback by emailing sustainability@erie.gov .

The Erie County Community Climate Action Plan was funded in part by the Climate Smart Community Grant Program, Title 15 of the Environmental Protection Fund through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

For more information:

On the Department of Environment and Planning, visit https://www3.erie.gov/environment/ 

On Climate Action and Sustainability, visit

https://www3.erie.gov/environment/climate-action-and-sustainability

# # #