CANTON — Canton has been designated a Clean Energy Community by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), recognizing its leadership in reducing energy use, cutting costs, and driving clean energy locally.

Announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in August 2016, the $16 million Clean Energy Communities initiative supports local government leaders across the state to implement energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable development projects in their communities. The Clean Energy Communities program demonstrates the importance of communities helping New York reach its Clean Energy Standard of 50 percent of the state’s electricity coming from renewable energy resources by 2030.

Canton received the designation for completing four of 10 high-impact clean energy actions identified by NYSERDA as part of the Clean Energy Communities initiative:

· The Sustainability Committee launched a very successful Solarize campaign, resulting in close to 40 residential installations of solar panels.

· The Village Board passed a resolution to become a Climate Smart Community; progress is being made toward certification.

· The municipality adopted New York State’s Unified Solar Permit.

· Code officers completed training for inspecting renewable energy projects.

“The Sustainability Committee was pleased that the mayor, trustees, and staff embraced these sustainability initiatives to achieve the Clean Energy Designation,” said Carol Gable, chair of the energy sub-group of the Sustainability Committee.

In addition, the designation gave Canton an opportunity to apply for up to $100,000 in grant funding toward additional clean energy projects, with no local cost share. “The grant we applied for will fund upgrades to equipment in the Village’s water treatment plant, which will reduce GHG emissions by approximately 187 tons per year,” according to Village Superintendent Brien Hallahan. “Savings from these upgrades in annual energy and maintenance costs will be approximately $18,500.”

“We hope to continue working on projects to reduce the Village’s carbon footprint and welcome community members interested in supporting such efforts,” said Ms. Gable. Canton’s Sustainability Committee meets the second Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. in the conference room of the Canton Municipal Building. Everyone is welcome.

For more information on Clean Energy Communities, visit www.nyserda.ny.gov/cec.