On December 3, 2019, the Tompkins County Legislature established the Tompkins County Climate and Sustainable Energy Advisory Board.
As the authorizing resolution outlines, the Climate and Sustainable Energy Advisory Board is charged with providing expert input to the Legislature on regulatory initiatives and successful community programs relating to energy and climate change, as well as emerging energy efficiency, renewables, and climate adaptation technologies. The new advisory board will also make recommendations to assist the County in developing additional capacity and expertise to engage with state policymakers and regulators, utility staff, municipal leaders, developers, businesses, and community groups to set Tompkins County government and the wider Tompkins County community on a successful course to meeting the greenhouse gas emission reduction goals of the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and the Tompkins County Energy Strategy as quickly as is fiscally and economically feasible.
Established for a two-year term, the Climate and Sustainable Energy Advisory Board will be made up of nine Legislature-appointed members selected for their expertise and engagement in issues related to climate change and sustainable energy, including emerging energy efficiency, renewables, and climate adaptation technologies. It is anticipated that the board will meet monthly at a time to be determined by the members.
The County is currently recruiting to fill all seats on the Climate and Sustainable Energy Advisory Board. Tompkins County residents are invited to apply no later than January 13, 2020. The short application form is available on the County’s website at http://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/legislature/advisory-board, or call the Legislature office at 607-274-5434 to obtain a copy. Applicants should explain on the application the expertise they could bring to the advisory board.
For more information about the Tompkins County Climate and Sustainable Energy Advisory Board, please contact Darby Kiley at the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability, dkiley@tompkins-co.org (607) 274-5560.