August 10, 2010 -  The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), a public benefit corporation, has awarded an “Energy $mart^SM Communities Program” grant to a Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County.  The purpose of the program is to help residents, businesses and communities in a ten county Adirondack North Country region to take better advantage of NYSERDA’s numerous and diverse energy programs.

The Program will be carried out in partnership with the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), the Council for International Trade, Technology, Education and Communication (CITEC), and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations in Lewis, Herkimer, Hamilton, Warren, Washington, Essex, Clinton, Franklin, and St. Lawrence Counties.  This partnership will provide energy education, outreach services and clean energy business development through implementation of NYSERDA’s New York Energy $mart^SM Communities Program within the ten North Country counties.

Richard Halpin, Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, stated that “the strength of our proposed project design, and why I believe it received NYSERDA funding, lies in the collaborative approach championed by the partnering organizations that are well positioned to efficiently and effectively extend energy expertise and funding opportunities to the local level where they are needed most.  With Cornell Cooperative Extension leading the way, and the contributions of ANCA and CITEC, the entire North Country will realize tremendous benefit from this collaborative effort.”

Steve Erman, President of ANCA, called the grant award “an important opportunity for ANCA to further support community and economic development efforts in the Adirondack North Country.”   “Our partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension and CITEC to deliver NYSERDA programs in the region will help to improve quality-of- life in our communities and enhance the region’s economy.”

Arnie Talgo, an ANCA Director who recently retired from New York Power Authority, added that “the development and implementation of programs to advance energy efficiency as well as investments in the generation and delivery of clean power in the North Country is essential to building economic vitality and positioning our region for the future.”  “Through the education and outreach initiatives made possible by this new grant, ANCA can help build strong grass-roots interest in energy improvements.”

The funded project design includes overall coordination and administration of the program by Cooperative Extension from its Jefferson County office, while regional coordinators working out of ANCA, CITEC and County Extension offices will be deployed to oversee and support local delivery of NYSERDA programs and services by trained energy specialists based in the region’s more densely populated rural communities.  Together, all staff working to implement the grant will be positioned to help communities in specific ways tailored to individual resident, business, and community energy needs.

Kate Fish, ANCA’s Executive Director, confirmed that her group brings to the effort “a wealth of experience and knowledge concerning community economic and development needs, particularly regarding the important role energy plays in the business of everyday life.”  “Improving the efficiency of our infrastructure to include buildings, appliances and businesses, reducing our dependence on imported energy, and deploying more regional resources to serve our energy needs will create jobs, save our communities money and help build more resilience into our local economies.”    “In the Adirondacks alone, we spend over a $1 billion dollars a year on energy costs.  Even a 15% improvement in efficiency would save the region $150 million dollars a year,” Fish said.

CITEC’s Executive Director, William Murray expanded his partnering colleagues’ views.  He said that ANCA and CCE each bring their own particular strengths to the NYSERDA mission in ways that fit well with CITEC’s long-standing involvement and documented success in helping bring forward sound technological solutions to critical societal issues.  “While technology is never the only solution to business and community problems, Murray said, it almost always is an essential part of arriving at real progress.  This especially is the case in the energy arena.”

Several services that will be made available to residents, businesses, and communities through the Energy $mart^SM Communities program stand out and underscore the importance of collaboration to achieve desired results.  Energy coordinators, for example, will help communities by:

• Matching energy project needs with the available NYSERDA funding opportunities and other economic development resources.

• Creating partnerships to encourage the development and implementation of local energy projects.

• Educating home owners, community leaders, business owners, and the general public on the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable resources.

• Providing assistance to energy-related businesses and entrepreneurs through initiatives that increase awareness of local and NYSERDA business assistance services available to early-stage, clean-energy businesses.

• Building support for energy-efficiency and renewable energy projects by providing energy education forums to help achieve the energy savings necessary for successful development efforts.

• Helping organizations and businesses build opportunities and create jobs by providing access to job training and recruitment opportunities for local business partners.

• Building a network of local organizations and agencies that contribute to urban, suburban, and rural understanding of your project and its energy benefit to the community.

Additional information about the New York State Energy $mart^SM Communities Program and other NYSERDA programs, resources, activities and events may be found at www.NYSERDA.ORG.

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For follow up information contact:

Richard Halpin

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County

rlh44@cornell.edu
315-788-8450, ext. 233

Kate Fish

Adirondack North Country Association

kfish@adirondack.org

518-891-6200

William Murray, P.E.
CITEC, Inc.

murray@citec.org

315-268-3778 x29