Adirondack North Country Association Building Vibrant Rural Communities and Resilient Local Economies
Winter 2012
ANCA news
Solar panels line a shipping container that is used to store wood pellets for The Wild Center’s biomass boiler system, in Tupper Lake. Photo by Melissa Hart/ANCA
The new energy economy:
Clean & Green T
he clean energy economy is the next big thing for the Adirondack North Country. ANCA has just launched Green Jobs, Green New York, a program that provides New Yorkers with access to energy audits, installation services, low-cost financing and pathways to training for various green-collar careers. ANCA was also instrumental in procuring a $1M Cleaner, Greener Communities Sustainability Planning Grant, which will be managed by Essex County on behalf of the North Country. Both programs are funded by New York State Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The North Country Regional Economic Development Council’s winning plan includes the Clean Energy Economy as a key part of its economic development strategy. With the largest wind farms in
INSIDE:
PROGRAM NEWS, 2-4
the State, the production of 567 megawatts of clean hydropower, and the potential to develop a thermal energy economy based on local biomass (wood and grass), the North Country is poised to provide clean renewable energy to its own businesses and residents as well as beyond. Once implemented, the North Country’s Clean Energy Strategy will catalyze the development of local businesses around production, distribution and maintenance of clean energy systems; retain energy dollars in the region rather than spending them outside the state and the nation; help the State meet its energy policy goals and reduce the State’s dependence on imported oil. Implementing the strategy is estimated to create 1,200 jobs across the region, including more jobs in the forestry industry. Learn more about the Green Jobs Program and the recent growth in green careers inside on page 2. We profile someone involved in the Clean Energy Economy on page 5. On page 8, we look at some of the many energy projects across the region that were funded through the Regional Economic Development Councils.
BUYER DAYS PREVIEW, 6-7
UPDATES, 10 -12