Warren County Honored for Being ‘Climate Smart’

By Don Lehman, Warren County Director of Public Affairs

Warren County has been focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions for a number of years, efforts that resulted in two recent statewide recognitions as county leaders work to protect the environment that is crucial to Warren County’s tourism economy.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has designated the county as a “Certified Bronze Climate Smart Community,” while the county also earned the designation of "Clean Energy Community" by NYSERDA in 2020.

The Climate Smart designation is awarded to communities that complete the requisite number of actions taken to locally respond to the global climate crisis. In addition to the county’s honor, the city of Glens Falls, town of Queensbury and village and town of Lake George in Warren County have also been designated as “Climate Smart” communities.

The “Climate Smart” designation occurred as a result of Warren County:

• Installing electric vehicle charging stations at the Warren

County Municipal Center.

• Developing “Climate Vulnerability Assessment/Adaptation

Strategies.”

• Adopting the New York State Unified Solar Permit to speed approval for solar energy projects, with a solar farm in the works at Warren County Airport.

• Restoring riparian buffers along West Brook in Lake

George, a major lake tributary.

• Establishing a financing project for building energy efficiency.

The NYSERDA recognition occurred after the county completed 4 out of 10 “high impact” actions that support efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and conserve energy. “There are few things more important to Warren County's local economy than protecting the natural resources that have attracted visitors and residents here for centuries. We are the home of Lake George and countless additional environmental treasures, so it is important for Warren County to be an active participant in the Climate Smart Communities program,” explained Rachel Seeber, Chairwoman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

Certified Bronze Climate Smart Communities are given advantage on funding applications, which can be used to adapt local infrastructure to anticipated extreme weather events and implement practices that reduce energy use.

The Warren County Planning Department coordinated Warren County’s efforts toward these achievements.

“The Climate Smart title serves as representation of the hard work done in Warren County to advance actions that promote our environment, our most valuable resource,” Warren County Planning Director Wayne Lamothe noted.

In addition, a 17-person Warren County Climate Smart Task Force, made up of Warren County legislators, county employees and representatives of other local municipalities and organizations, has met periodically since 2019 to discuss goals and actions for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's “Climate Smart Communities Program.”

"I’m proud to lead the Board of Supervisors in this endeavor, and I’m grateful for all of the staff who are working on these efforts, to make Warren County a DEC-Certified Bronze Climate Smart Community,” said Glens Falls 3rd Ward Supervisor Claudia Braymer. “We have more to do, but this is a great way to help with reducing pollution and protecting the entire Lake George region."

Future goals for the Warren County Climate Smart Task Force include development of a greenhouse gas inventory, climate action plan, and development of a natural resources inventory.