Referred to:  The Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee (Chairwoman Greene and Legislators Hansut, Levine, Maloney, and Stewart), and The Ways and Means Committee (Chairman Gavaris and Legislators Cahill, Criswell, Roberts, and Ronk)

Chairwoman of the Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee, Manna Jo Greene, and Deputy Chair Gina Hansut offer the following:

WHEREAS, this resolution has been submitted at the request of the County Executive on behalf of the Department of the Environment; and

WHEREAS, County Executive Jen Metzger’s Executive Order 1 of 2023 directs the Department of Environment, in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Ulster County Sheriff, to seek grant funding to complete, by 2025, the installation of electric-vehicle charging at County buildings and facilities to support a transition to a zero-emissions fleet; and

WHEREAS, the Ulster County Legislature enacted Local Law No. 3 of 2015 A Local Law Establishing a Sustainable Green Fleet Policy; and

WHEREAS, said Law establishes the commitment of the County “to move toward zero-emission vehicles by promoting the use of electric, hybrid-electric, hybrid, and sustainable green vehicles by residents”, in part by installing electric vehicle charging stations at County-owned facilities and supporting initiatives which will lead to the further deployment of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles across the community; and

WHEREAS, Resolution No. 419 dated August 16, 2022 established Capital Project No. 644 - Site Ready Services For Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in the amount of $317,807.00, for installations of electric vehicle charging stations at several County-owned facilities; and

WHEREAS, the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI Program) is a new competitive grant program created by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work; and

WHEREAS, the CFI Program is divided into two separate grant categories, the Community Charging and Fueling Program Grants and the Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants, for which applicants may simultaneously apply for funding under both programs; and

 WHEREAS, under the CFI Program the Federal share of the cost of a project carried out with CFI Program funds under both programs shall not exceed 80 percent of the total project cost; and

WHEREAS, the County desires to submit an application for the CFI Program to install publicly-available electric vehicle charging stations at multiple County-owned and other publicly-accessible facilities; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Director of the Ulster County Department of the Environment is hereby authorized to submit an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program up to the maximum award amount for each category, for which awardees must provide at least 20 percent of the total project cost (not 20 percent of the Federal share) as a matching share,

and moves its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                        NOES:      

Passed Committee: Health, Human Services and Housing on ________________.

Passed Committee: Ways and Means on ________________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

TBD