Welcome

to the Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative

​The keystone of New York State’s climate law is the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). It requires the following: 


  • 85% emissions reduction and net-zero total emissions by 2050 (from 1990 levels), with interim goals
  • 100% emissions-free electricity by 2040
  • 70% renewable energy by 2030
  • 35% of the benefits of clean energy and energy efficiency spending going to disadvantaged communities


For more information, see the summary by New York Renews, New York State’s summary, or the complete bill text. In addition, see the Scoping Plan issued by the Climate Action Council in January 2023. To keep up to date with how the CLCPA and related legislation is being implemented, see Columbia Law School’s Climate Law Tracker.   


 It’s also important to keep in mind that NYS: 



NYSERDA and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation are the primary agencies that administer state-level climate programs and initiatives. The NYS Department of Health also plays a significant role regarding the health-specific aspects of climate change. 

Local Efforts

In keeping with our commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, greater energy efficiency, and the adoption of renewable energy, we advocate for 

309 North Aurora Street | Ithaca, NY 14850 | info@tccpi.org


updated April 2024

​(Parts of the above are adapted from the Mobilization & Policy section of the Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region.)  

[ Source: https://smartenergychoices.org ]

[ Source: www.tompkinsweekly.com ]

policies that help advance these aims. Furthermore, we recognize that those who contribute least to the problem of climate change will be impacted first and worst by its effects. Thus we support policies that improve equitable access to climate solutions and do not place additional burden on disadvantaged communities. 

[ Source: www.mobilize.us/fww/ ]

​In particular, we support policies that:

​

• Increase building efficiency and electrification
• Reduce vehicle miles traveled and increase multi-modal transportation options
• Decarbonize and strengthen the electrical grid
• Reduce agricultural emissions and develop local food systems
• Benefit disadvantaged communities in addressing climate change and increase jobs and wealth in those communities

• Reduce solid waste, especially ​especially of materials that contaminate air and water and impact healthy ecosystems

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Climate Policy Advocacy​

construction to be net-zero buildings that do not use fossil fuels (with exceptions for cooking and process energy). In addition, the County has also been working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the transition to clean energy. See here for a recent history of inventories, plans, and strategies. 

NYS Climate Policy and Programs 

​Our Perspective on Local and State Climate and Energy Policies

​​In Tompkins County, the Cornell Cooperative Extension oversees the state’s Clean Energy Communities program and the Smart Energy Choices program, which serves   as the NYSERDA Regional Clean Energy Hub for the Southern Tier region. Other important efforts guiding our community include the Ithaca Green New Deal, which commits the city to achieving community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, and the Ithaca Energy Code Supplement, which starting in 2026, requires all new