‘Charging’ Ahead on a Green Fleet in Tompkins County

By Terry Carroll, Chief Sustainability Officer, Tompkins County

In the race to transition to electric vehicles (EVs), Tompkins County is charging ahead. An innovative Green Fleet Capital Plan, a commitment to moving towards net-zero emissions for government operations, and a department leading the way have all allowed Tompkins County to show what’s possible.

Tompkins County’s Green Fleet Capital Fund was implemented in the 2020 budget year with the aim to offset the increased costs of electric vehicles for departments as they buy replacement vehicles, while also providing funding for infrastructure upgrades that allow for on-site vehicle charging. The commitment from the Legislature laid out a 5-year plan with $350,000 dollars allocated each year. This capital fund helps provide certainty that year-over-year, funding will be available to purchase more EVs to replace those that run on fossil fuels. It also signals to community members and staff that Tompkins County is serious about our commitments.

In 2010, Tompkins County pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from county operations by 80% of 2008 levels by 2050, with an incremental goal of 20% reductions by 2020. As the county approached 2020, we realized that the interim goal had overwhelmingly been surpassed, with an emissions reduction of 51% as measured by traditional methodologies.

However, alarm bells were ringing from the international scientific community that more needed to be done, and on a quicker timeline than previously thought. Goals targeting 2050 were no longer enough. So, we went back to the drawing board and modified our goals via an updated 2019 Energy Strategy, laying out a plan to strive for the largest reduction in the shortest timeframe possible while remaining financially solvent. In short, the race is on for Tompkins County to get to net-zero emissions as quickly as possible, and electrifying transportation will play a large role in whether we achieve our goals.

Our 2019 Government Operations Greenhouse Gas Inventory identified 1,686 metric tons of carbon emissions resulting from the county fleet. The capital fund gives us the resources to address these vehicle emissions head on, while we acknowledge that increased internal buy-in will also be necessary. Thankfully, our Health Department is already showing what is possible. The Tompkins County Health Department received their first electric vehicle in 2018 thanks, in part, to funding from Tompkins County’s designation as a Clean Energy Community by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The accompanying grant funding helped us buy 15 EVs, 10 of which were allocated to the Health Department. With a mixture of plug-in hybrid Chevy Volts and fully electric but short-ranged Nissan Leafs, relying on dedicated charging infrastructure, the Health Department was a first-test case for what an electrified county fleet would look like.

Thankfully, the test was passed with flying colors. The Health Department developed a program to help employees learn more about EVs and become comfortable driving them to home and site visits across the county. Lessons were learned about what charging infrastructure is necessary, which vehicles are best for the job, and the potential financial savings we may see from the switch to EVs due to lower maintenance requirements and cheaper electricity costs. Employees grew to not only be comfortable driving the vehicles, but the EVs became the preferred choice for most employees. The Health Department has since decided that all future department vehicles will be electric and other departments are taking notice; our Information Technology, Recycling, and Facilities Departments are all awaiting electric vehicle deliveries in 2021 and more EV purchases are expected next year. Even our Highway Department is interested in supporting this effort by incorporating emerging electric trucks in their operations.

The Green Fleet Capital Fund, an aggressive emissions goal, and a department that was willing to lead the way, have all shown what is possible for municipal governments. Tompkins County is committed to reducing our climate impact and we see EVs as a huge opportunity to move in that direction.

However, solving fleet emissions is just one part of the climate equation; buildings emissions represent a whole other sector that we need to tackle. Thankfully, a Green Facilities Capital Plan is now moving forward on an equally aggressive timeline as the fleet conversion. With these investments, Tompkins County is well positioned to have slashed emissions to achieve the goal of 80% emissions reduction ten years early, with the goal of net-zero becoming ever closer to a reality.

How New York Counties Can Take the Lead on Climate Resiliency

By Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters

It’s evident to every New Yorker that climate change is here, threatening our communities, impacting our public health, and compromising our infrastructure. Severe flash flooding has washed away roads and flooded highways. Communities are feeling the effects of extreme heat, which is damaging our health and can be fatal. No one is exempt or unimpacted from the climate crisis, which means that we all have a part to play in our climate solution.

We’ve seen a lot of progress and urgency over the past few months, especially since Hurricane Ida, from our elected officials. Climate change is front and center in the federal Build Back Better Act. Governor Hochul has announced several environmental projects, including building two new transmission lines to bring clean energy to the most energy dense pockets of our state, and proposing an additional $1 billion for the Environmental Bond Act. It’s reassuring to see our federal and state leaders taking action.

But we all know that all politics is local, and some of the most important work is done at the local and county levels. We have our work cut out for us to create a clean, healthy, and safe New York for all, and our local leaders are essential to getting this work done.

Our climate work falls into two categories. We need to build a climate-resilient future; since we know extreme storms are here to stay, we need infrastructure that is prepared to take on flood-waters and neighborhoods that are adapted to hotter weather. We also need to reduce emissions; this means decarbonizing all sectors of our economy, including our buildings and transportation, which are the largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions.

The climate crisis is expensive – but if we make the right investments now, they will pay off. First, resiliency projects are the immediate solution to keeping our communities safe. We need to protect our shorelines from erosion, protect our wetlands to absorb stormwater, and construct stormwater management systems that can handle increased flooding. We need to focus resiliency efforts along waterfronts, water and wastewater treatment plants, and airports, which are more vulnerable to power outages. Robust natural buffers will also help protect us from storms, including wetlands and dunes. In November 2022, we will have the opportunity to vote yes on the Environmental Bond Act. Once passed, we can invest billions of dollars in creating a climate resilient New York. We will have funds – much of which will be available for local government grants - to protect clean water, conserve our family farms, and reduce local climate risks. We need to make this investment now so that we save billions of dollars in the long run.

Simultaneously, we need to focus on reducing emissions. Cleaning up our power grid and transitioning to renewable energy is essential and will create good-paying, local jobs across the state. We need local leaders to champion renewable energy projects in their region and promote policies that invest in solar and wind energy, and battery storage. We also need to adopt green building standards that require more efficient and green features, like heat pumps and solar panels.

We’ll also need our county leaders to take charge on reducing transportation emissions, which is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in New York State. We’re working on the federal and state levels on important policies that will accelerate this transition, and we need our local politicians to also make this a priority. We need to transition municipal fleets to clean fuels and electric vehicles and switch to electric buses. This is also an equity issue; highway pollution disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color, who see higher rates of asthma and other health conditions.

New York’s local leaders play a large role in shaping our climate future; we need environmental champions at all levels of government. We need all of New York State’s counties to step up to be certified as Climate Smart Communities. To date, less than a 25% have done so and we need the other 75% to follow the lead of Albany, Broome, Dutchess, Erie, Madison, Orange, Schenectady, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, and Westchester.

The time to act on climate is now, and the New York League of Conservation Voters calls on our county leaders to make this a priority. Together, we can make a clean, healthy New York for all.