The Path to Climate Smart Communities Certification

There is movement across New York State for local governments to prepare for the effects of climate change – some of this initiative extends directly from legislative acts such as the Coastal Risk and Resilience Act and the Climate Leadership and the Community Protection Act (Climate Act). These laws were largely informed by lessons learned from Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and Superstorm Sandy. Some local governments feel compelled to seek action by way of public sentiment. Either way, there are many programmatic opportunities to implement climate mitigation or adaptation projects, such as flood mitigation and funding for clean vehicles and charging stations. Two of these programs include the New York State Climate Smart Communities (CSC) Certification Program and NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities (CEC) Program.

The CSC Certification program, which began as an interagency initiative of New York State in 2009, has evolved into a program that provides specific guidance on implementation of the CSC Pledge and recognition of community accomplishments. A town, village, city, or county can become a Registered Climate Smart Community if it adopts, by resolution, the New York State Climate Smart Communities Pledge.  The Pledge is comprised of ten elements that support decreasing energy use and emissions, improving climate resilience, encouraging green technologies, and implementing climate-smart land management. The pledge elements are reflected in the ten focus areas of the CSC Certification program, for a total of 118 pledge element actions that can be completed for points. Local governments can upload documentation of completed actions and track their progress toward designation as a Certified Climate Smart Community on the CSC website, also known as the CSC portal. To earn points and obtain certification, communities are required to provide documentation demonstrating the actions they have completed. A complementary climate leadership program, NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Community Program, was initially launched in 2016 and revised in 2021 to provide grants for local governments to initiate clean energy actions.  This point-based program provides grants based on the number of High-Impact Actions (HIA) completed and municipality size by population.

There are mandatory and priority actions within the 118 pledge element actions of the CSC Certification program. These actions are seen as the baseline for building a robust local climate program. The mandatory actions are required for all levels of CSC certification. They include designating a local CSC Coordinator and assembling an advisory board or steering committee (i.e., CSC Task Force). Priority actions are focused largely on relatively low-cost assessments and policies that develop goals for future action. The number of priority actions that must be completed increases with each level of certification, with advancements tied to potential grant funding. Conducting a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and developing a climate action plan are examples of priority actions.

Many communities across New York State are highly interested in pursuing the grant funding, free technical assistance, and best practices offered through the CSC certification program. Where to start can feel overwhelming.  If your community is interested in learning more about how the greenhouse gas emissions inventory can serve as the foundation for your local climate program, contact B&L’s Climate Action Specialist, Jayme Breschard.