The North Country Regional Sustainability Plan

1. The North Country Regional Sustainability Plan North Country Symposium, April 15, 2013

2. Cleaner Greener CommunitiesGrant Program • Announced by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in his 2011 State of the State address. • 10 regions statewide. Counties to find common goals and highlight unique features across each region. • Program empowers the region to create a local plan to support sustainable communities and create economic development opportunities. • Partner with local public and private experts along with community residents. • Plan will to guide the implementation of projects that will significantly improve the economic and environmental health of the region.

3. Grant Timeline Phase 1: 2012: Regional Sustainability Planning Program $1M for region to prepare • Tier II GHG Inventory Assessment • Sustainability Plan • Implementation Strategy Phase 2: 2013: Project Funding Begins • $90M statewide, over 3 to 5 years • Expected to be combined with CFA process • Funding Projects to meet Implementation Strategies • Projects are not restricted to Cleaner Greener funding

4. Who is Involved? Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) • Public Outreach • Working Group Management • Stakeholder Engagement Ecology and Environment, Inc. (E&E) - Located in Lancaster NY, Albany NY, New York City, NY • Technical Work With Focus Areas • GHG Inventory • Indicators, Goals & Baseline • Write Plan & Implementation Strategies

5. Who is Involved? • Essex County - Lead Applicant and Contract Management • Consortium (All Counties)–County officials, department staff • Working Group Members – Over 200 regional members. From private business, academic, local and state government, non-profit organizations • Public Stakeholders– Public meetings, conferences, website

6. Regional Leadership Consortium • Regional Leadership - Local Expertise and Knowledge • Access to Local Contacts - businesses, organizations and persons • Document Review and approval Working Group Members • Connection to current businesses, projects, planning efforts • Technical support • Local and regional perspective • Data, information, resources

7. Criteria & Focus of the Plan Criteria • Regional Economic Development • Local Job Creation • Green House Gas Reduction (energy savings) • Develop related strategies at the local & regional level Focus • Distribute benefits across the region • Bring together the ideas and projects of residents and support initiatives already underway

8. Focus Area Working Groups • Energy • Transportation • Livable Communities & Land Use • Economic Development • Materials Management (Waste) • Water Management • Working Landscapes (Agriculture, Forests, Recreation) Each Focus Area includes common themes of Economics, Governance, Education, and Climate Adaptation

9. Common Themes • ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – To enhance communities and improve markets, economic developmentmust be integrated with environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives. • EDUCATION – Advancing environmental and sustainability literacy will inform and empower North Country citizens to action. • GHG EMISSIONS – The North Country’s low GHG profile and high production of renewable energy presents a picture of self-sustaining and low-cost energy economy. • GOVERNANCE– Collaborating regionally, across local governments, will support changes in policy and foster sharing of successfully best practices. • CLIMATE ADAPTATION –Planning for the protection of infrastructure and adaptation strategies for weather-dependent economies such as agriculture and tourism will improve resiliency of North Country communities.

10. Sustainability Plan • Identifies focus area goals • Discusses opportunities and barriers • Sets targets • Identifies implementation strategies • Plan recommends project types that support goals of the plan, and may be eligible for Phase 2 funding

11. Grid-Tied Electricity Generation 94% of Electricity Generated in the Region is from Renewable Sources Does not include Photovoltaic, small co-gen and small wind sources

12. North Country GHG Emissions by Sector North Country forests can sequester 1.1 trillion tons CO2 equivalent Per capita emissions: 15 MT CO2e/person Does not include electricity generation or forest sinks

13. Energy Use & GHG Emissions by Fuel Type Does not include Transportation

14. Percentage of Homes per Fuel Type • 13% of homes heat with wood (compared with 2% statewide). But 39% of Residential energy consumption is wood. • A major contributor to this difference is the inefficiency of older wood heating systems. • However due to the higher use of wood in the North Country region, the tons of CO2e per unit of energy is lower. Includes electricity generation, does not include transportation

15. Direct Energy Consumption Residential Energy Consumption per Fuel Source (% per County)

16. Direct Energy Consumption 57 / 2.2 MMBTU per capita / Tons CO2e per capita 40 / 1.8 34 / 1.5 50 / 2.1 83 / 2.1 56 / 2.2 86 / 2.9 New York State - 31 MMBTUper capita, 1.7 Tons CO2e per capita North Country - 49 MMBTUper capita, 2.0 Tons CO2e per capita

17. GHG Emissions for Transportation On-Road Transportation • 2.0 Million MT CO2e • 4.2 Billion VMT • 9,775 miles per person (2009 Data) • 72% from Cars/ Pickups /SUVs/ Vans

18. TransportationAnnual GHG Emissions

19. Energy Energy • Promote energy reduction/conservation efforts and increase efficiency • Improve the energy performance and efficiency of the region’s existing infrastructure • Promote the development of renewable energy technologies

20. Energy K E Y S T A T S 94% of electricity generation in the region is renewable. 67% is exported. The Robert Moses Dam alone generates 60% of the region’s hydropower (6 GWh). 39%of households use fuel oil for heating. 13% use wood. Transportation makes up 42% of per capita energy consumption. Opportunities: Retrofit existing buildings for energy efficiency. Transitioning heating to renewables. Maximize use of the regions existing renewable energy resources. Capitalize on regional technology incubators (ex. SUNY Canton and Clarkson). Implementation strategies: Engage residents by using successful case studies to build support for energy efficiency and conservation. Connect businesses and residents with existing programs (such as NYSERDA’s Green Jobs Green New York). Encourage policy planning to support renewables and green building standards for new construction. Increase installations of solar and other renewables through community-based virtual net metering.

21. Transportation • Prioritize maintenance of existing transportation infrastructure.   • Encourage alternatives to single occupant vehicle travel. Increase the use of public transit and ride sharing • Reduce trip lengths by concentrating mixed use development in existing town and village centers. • Improve regional freight transport. Include freight transport in comprehensive plans.

22. Transportation K E Y S T A T S The North Country has more than 15,800 miles of paved roadway. North-south travel within the region can cover 150 miles and take over three hours, while east-west travel can cover 180 miles and take more than four hours. Transportation sector is the largest consumer of energy in the North Country and produces 40% of all GHG emissions Percentage of commuters traveling via carpool, public transit, biking, and walking: 18.5%. Major opportunities: Connect passenger rail to community and regional bus service, car rentals, and taxis. Maximize the capacity of regional rail for freight transport. Improve public transportation options for residents and tourists. Implementation strategies Maintain existing transit infrastructurebefore building new. Provide traveler resources, particularly on the 22 designated scenic byways. Coordinate regionally on transportation infrastructure improvements. Promote alternate transit options to single occupancy vehicles. Concentrate development in existing town centers.

23. Livable Communities & Land Use • Revitalize existing main streets & downtownareas • Produce and update comprehensiveplans • Improve community safety and adaptability to climate impacts. • Increase the availability of fresh foods and produce. • Support sustainability programs through local schools. Increase sustainability literacy in the region.

24. Livable Communities &Land Use Opportunities Preserve old buildings to maintain character of downtowns. Improve walkability of downtown centers; create “complete streets”. Support transportation improvements for main streets Use comprehensive plans to ensure future land use is based on the vision and goals for the community. K E Y S T A T S The North Country encompasses 26% of New York State’s land and just 1.7% of its population. 2.68% of the North Country’s land area is developed. 46% of the population in the region lives in cities, down from 53% in 2000. There are >40 farmers markets in the Region. Over HALF of communities in North Country have an adopted Comprehensive Plan. 34% of communities in the North Country are considered food deserts. Implementation Strategies Encourage and develop Main Street Redevelopment Programs. Enhance local food distribution outlets. Update comprehensive plans to include energy efficiency guidelines, renewable technology standards and mixed-use zoning. Provide resources for the development of comprehensive and hazard mitigation plans. Promote the unique tourism opportunities of the region.

25. Water Management • Maintain adequate water supply for future needs. • Implement water management planning from a watershed-level scale • Maintain or improve the quality of water resources. • Reduce energy used for water supply, treatment, and distribution.

26. Water Management Opportunities Water resources are plentiful. Large land areas enable natural treatment options. Green infrastructure, leak detection programs, and energy efficiency improvements can reduce infrastructure costs. K E Y S T A T S Water withdrawals for public supply and domestic self supply (private wells) total 60% of the regions overall water use (2005) Aquaculture and Industry are 15% and 13% of water withdrawals. Water use per capita is 75 gal/day for domestic self-supply and 100 gal/day for public supply 25% of assessed water bodies in the region are categorized as impaired (NYSDEC) The annual cost of water infrastructure makes up 12 to 22% of town, village, and city budgets. Implementation Strategies Conserve natural drainage corridors to improve resiliency. Take preventative action through watershed management. Incorporate water supply management into comprehensive and master plans; support targeted growth areas. Support programs that incentivize water-efficiency and reuse. Promote energy efficiency for treatment facilities.

27. Materials Management • Promote the reduction of solid waste generation • Increase the percentage of waste recycled or reused within the region.

28. Materials Management K E Y S T A T S North Country disposes 3.2 lbs/pp/day of MSW – 22% less than the NYS average. The region is 4X less effective at recovering materials from its waste stream than the NYS average. Organic material made up 37% of the MSW waste stream in three counties (2010 study). Opportunities Use existing waste management infrastructure to increase efficiency in reuse, recovery, recycling, and composting Reuse organic waste materials to create mulch and fertilizers and generate energy. Developing the recycling sector creates 10 times more jobs than landfilling/incinerating waste (on a per ton basis). Implementation strategies Encourage markets for recovered materials in the Region. • Increase public education on responsible product purchasing, single stream recycling, reuse/recycling options, and composing for institutions. • Incentivize regional businesses to produce and purchase recycled products. • Increase accessibility of recycling and composing facilities. • Promote projects, technologies, and initiatives to increase removal of organics and recyclable products.

29. Promote growth in the agricultural and forestry industries, including expansion of existing, and new operations. • Increase local food and forest product processing and sales. • Increase the use of biomass to meet the thermal energy needs of the region and beyond. • Increase tourism and recreation while providing long-term maintenance of natural recreational resources. • Enhance forest management through increased use of best management forestry practices. • Upgrade and maintain farming infrastructure, to improve energy efficiency and reduce operating costs. Working Landscapes (Forested, Recreational, and Agricultural)

30. Working Landscapes K E Y S T A T S Less than 1% of farms in the region have completed an energy audit Only 6 facilities (community/utility) in the region use biomass. There are 2 biomass processing facilities in the region There are over 4,200 farms in the region, with annual sales of almost $600 million Over 4 million acres of timberland (forests available for wood production and harvest) exist in the region. Recreational resources: Thousand Islands , St. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain, Tug Hill Plateau and Adirondack Park. Opportunities Forestry & Biomass: ample supply and advancement of biomass technologies Farming & Food: growth of markets and distribution methods for local food. Recreation: diverse eco-tourism opportunities and expansion capacity. Implementation Strategies Preserve prime farmlands. Promote the economic value of farm and forest businesses. Expand the use of biomass. Convert underutilized farmland for biomass production. Promote low-impact recreation and eco-tourism. Conduct energy audits on farm facilities.

31. Implementation Strategies Integrate sustainability plan with NCREDC strategies Establish management team to oversee implementation • Enable knowledge sharing • Track progress and report status • Support education and public outreach • Identify and encourage project development Establish local support for implementation strategies • Project leaders • County & municipal government • Education – schools, colleges • Communities and interest groups

32. Next Steps • Plan will be public April 26 • Guidance on Phase 2 funding from NYSERDA available late April • CFA application process open mid-May? • Resources available to help: • Kim DesChampdeschamp@citec.org • Jen Perry jperry@adirondack.org

33. Draft NCREDC Resolution The members of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council hereby endorse the North Country Sustainability Plan and agree to help implement its strategies and recommendations as part of the implementation of the overall North Country Economic Development Plan.