Referred to: The Energy and Environment Committee (Chairman Richard Parete

and Legislators Bartels, Heppner, Lapp, and Wawro)

Legislators James H. Delaune and Kevin A. Roberts and Legislators Bartels, Greene,

Heppner, Lapp, R. Parete and Wawro offer the following:

WHEREAS, Ulster County has distinguished itself as an environmental leader

through numerous environmental actions including earning designation by NYS as a

Bronze Certified Climate Smart Community; and

WHEREAS, per Executive Order No. 1-2016, Ulster County purchases

renewable energy credits ensuring all our electricity comes from renewable sources,

received a Green Power Leadership award from the United States Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and is recognized by the Unites States EPA one of the top

municipal green energy purchasers in the country; and

WHEREAS, the County further demonstrates leadership on climate protection

by purchasing carbon credits to offset all remaining greenhouse gas emissions

associated with operations resulting in a net carbon neutral government operation;

and

WHEREAS, per Executive Order No. 1-2016 the County Executive

committed to reducing- through conservation, efficiency and renewable generationthe GHG emissions associated with operations by 25% by 2025 and 80% by 2050

over the 2012 baseline; and

WHEREAS, since 2012 government efficiency and restructuring efforts have

resulted in over a 20% reduction in electricity use and an average savings of over

$370,000 per year to tax payers; and,

WHEREAS, NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

has announced a new Clean Energy Communities program which would allow the

County access to significant grant funding to further implement clean energy actions

reducing both energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions; and,

 WHEREAS, the Clean Energy Communities program requires that the

County implement certain High-Impact Actions; and

WHEREAS, one of the High-Impact Actions requires the legislative

establishment of a policy requiring the public reporting of building benchmarking

and energy consumption; and 

WHEREAS, the County already has instituted an operational practice of

tracking all building energy use and producing reports; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that it is the policy of Ulster County to continue to collect

energy use data for all fuel types used, on a monthly basis where possible, on all

buildings greater than 1,000 square feet in size that are owned or occupied by the

County of Ulster as well as data documenting property use; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the County will maintain records as necessary for carrying

out the purposes of this Local Policy, including but not limited to energy bills and

other documents received from tenants and/or utilities and such records shall be

preserved by the County for a period of at least three (3) years; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the County will make publically available on the internet no

later than September 1st of each year annual summary statistics, as well as a

comparison of the annual summary statistics across calendar years for all years since

annual reporting under this local policy has been required for all the buildings, for

each covered building for the pervious calendar year including Energy Use Intensity

(EUI), weather normalized source EUI, annual greenhouse gas emissions, an energy

performance score where available, and other information as required by EPA

Portfolio Manager or deemed appropriate by the County,

and moves its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES: 20 NOES: 0

(Absent: Legislators Delaune, Gerentine, and

Maloney)

Passed Committee: Energy and Environment as amended on October 12, 2016

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE 

STATE OF NEW YORK

 ss:

COUNTY OF ULSTER

I, the undersigned Clerk of the Legislature of the County of Ulster, hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is

the original resolution adopted by the Ulster County Legislature on the 18th Day of October in the year Two Thousand and

Sixteen, and said resolution shall remain on file in the office of said clerk.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of the County of Ulster this 19th Day of October

in the year Two Thousand and Sixteen.

|s| Victoria A. Fabella

Victoria A. Fabella, Clerk

Ulster County Legislature

Submitted to the County Executive this Approved by the County Executive this

19th Day of October, 2016. 24th Day of October, 2016.

|s| Victoria A. Fabella |s| Michael P. Hein

Victoria A. Fabella, Clerk Michael P. Hein, County Executive

Ulster County Legislature