Buffalo, NY—Mayor Byron W. Brown announced today that he will introduce energy benchmarking legislation which is the necessary final step in completing Buffalo’s New York State Clean Energy Designation. The New York State Clean Energy Communities Program is a NYSERDA administered initiative that complements the State’s Climate Smart Community program and provides financial resources to localities that pursue sustainable climate and energy efficiency policies.
Mayor Brown said, “My Administration’s commitment to being a Climate Refuge City means that we must also dedicate ourselves to advancing sustainable climate policies that strive to protect our planet—and the people who live in vulnerable communities from the worst effects of global climate change. This requires us to adopt Climate Smart and Clean Energy policies and submit those policies to outside experts for review and validation so we remain on the right track and access the resources needed to accelerate our green transformation.”
The energy benchmarking legislation will commit the City to surveying its public buildings’ energy usage and provide the baseline information needed to make them more energy-efficient. Passing the legislation is the fourth and final step Buffalo needs to take to complete the designating process. Once the City receives this new designation it will become eligible for state grants to develop and implement energy efficiency policies and move Buffalo one step closer to achieving its silver level Climate Smart Community certification.
To help implement the energy benchmarking strategy, the City will work with the University at Buffalo while also using a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation grant to fund these initiatives. This will ensure that the Administration is accessing experts in the field and undertaking this work in a manner that is cost-neutral.
In addition to introducing the energy benchmarking legislation, the Mayor will also outline his plan to increase the number of electric vehicle chargers available in Buffalo, advocate for green infrastructure funding from the federal government, and make environmental justice a central component to green economic development.