Town of Clinton Certified by New York State DEC as a “Climate Smart Community” Bronze Level
Governor Hochul has announced that the Town of Clinton in Dutchess County has been certified as a “Climate Smart Community” through a NYS DEC program launched in 2014 to help communities engage in local actions to address the results of climate change.
Clinton’s Climate Smart Communities Task Force, a volunteer committee of nine community residents, has been working toward Climate Smart Communities certification since being formed in 2021. The program offers three certification levels to municipal participants (Bronze, Silver, and Gold), depending on local actions taken, completed, and documented.
“We’re really elated to be informed by the DEC that 3+ years of hard work by this volunteer community committee has come to fruition,” Clinton CSC Task Force Chair Joe Phelan stated. “However, this is only the first step in making our beautiful rural community more environmentally active and responsive, thus tackling the results of climate change head on and benefitting the daily lives of local residents.” To achieve Bronze certification, Phelan and the other members of Clinton’s CSC Task Force planned, implemented, and recorded a variety of Town-based actions, including the development of an updated natural resources inventory, a stream/road crossing inventory, a municipal energy benchmarking study, and a municipal greenhouse gas inventory,
Local communities accumulate points for planning and implementing actions to support reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving community resilience in the face of the worsening impacts of climate change. The Town of Clinton is one of 28 newly certified communities in NYS to meet or exceed Bronze designation criteria in third quarter 2024. The CSC designation is shared by 163 NYS municipalities, 146 communities (including Clinton) that hold the Bronze designation, and 17 that hold the Silver. The Town of Clinton’s Bronze designation will be active for five years, during which time actions for renewing Bronze certification and/or working toward Silver certification can be submitted.
This new distinction unlocks State funding opportunities for future Town projects by giving Clinton an enhanced score on certain grant applications. Michael Whitton, Clinton Town Supervisor stated: “We are excited for our Town to be identified and certified by the DEC as a Climate Smart Community. We will now be able to address additional community needs related to protecting and enhancing the integrity of the Town’s environment. The NYS DEC’s acknowledgement of the work throughout our Town that has been addressed thus far will be an impetus for us to expand our capacity to continue to meet these needs through access to additional grant funding.”
Phelan said he hopes to see the Town of Clinton work toward a Bronze certification extension and/or a future Silver certification. “We have attracted a dedicated and passionate cadre of community volunteers, and have developed partnerships with area organizations, such as the Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Hudson Valley Regional Council, to support our work, with their guidance and expertise, toward meeting these locally developed, environmentally supportive goals.”
(For more information, contact Joe Phelan, Clinton CSC Task Force, 845-625-4618, josephlphelan.jr@gmail.com)
