Climate Smart Communities (CSC) is a New York State program that helps local governments take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate.

The program offers grants, rebates for electric vehicles, and free technical assistance.

Established in 2009, the interagency Climate Smart Communities program provides guidance and technical support to local governments to take locally driven climate action. The first step to becoming a Climate Smart Community is to register by pledging to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. To date, 377 local governments representing more than 9.4 million New Yorkers adopted the Climate Smart Communities pledge. The certification program was launched in 2014 to document and celebrate the accomplishments of communities taking climate action. The addition of last week’s new communities brings New York’s total number of certified Climate Smart Communities to 118 – 10 at the silver level and 108 at the bronze level.

Climate Smart Communities in the Mohawk Valley

Herkimer County

  • West Winfield, Village
  • Webb, Town

Montgomery County

  • Montgomery County
  • Amsterdam, City

Oneida County

  • Utica, City
  • Rome, City
  • Oneida County
  • New Hartford, Town
  • Kirkland, Town
  • Forestport, Town
  • Clinton, Village
  • Boonville, Village

Otsego County

  • Richfield, Town
  • Richfield Springs, Village
  • Otsego, Town
  • Otsego County
  • Oneonta, Town
  • Oneonta, City
  • New Lisbon, Town
  • Middlefield, Town
  • Laurens, Village
  • Hartwick, Town
  • Cooperstown, Village
  • Cherry Valley, Village

Schoharie County

  • Sharon Springs, Village
  • Cobleskill, Village

Climate Smart Communities Coordinators

Climate Smart Communities Coordinators provide free technical support to municipalities across the state and assists local governments in taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change through outreach, planning, education, and capacity building.

To contact a Climate Smart Communities Coordinator, go here.

New York State’s nation-leading climate agenda calls for an orderly and just transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues fostering a green economy across all sectors and ensures that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy and energy efficiency investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation’s most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economywide carbon neutrality by mid-century.

A cornerstone of this transition is New York’s unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.8 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. These and other investments are supporting more than 165,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector in 2021 and a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, New York also adopted zero-emission vehicle regulations, including requiring all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold in the State be zero-emission by 2035. Partnerships are continuing to advance New York’s climate action with nearly 400 registered and more than 100 certified Climate Smart Communities, nearly 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State’s largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the state to help target air pollution and combat climate change.

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