Newburgh City Council approved the resolution of support for New York State’s Climate Action Council Scoping Plan during their regular meeting on Monday, November 14. The state’s scoping plan addresses state environmental concerns that look to be addressed and remedied in the coming years.

Mayor Torrance Harvey presented the resolution before the council on Thursday, November 10 seeking additional council support before the vote at their regular meeting. In addition to the support from the council, Mayor Harvey also discussed the potential opportunities for additional state and federal funding in pursuit of a cleaner and energy efficient municipality.

Several points mentioned in the resolution stated that the state has recognized the urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, the Climate Act was passed which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050, by 2030 have 70 percent of electricity needs from renewable sources met and then have 100 percent of the need met by 2040 through zero-emission resources and dedicate to Disadvantaged Communities 40 percent of clean energy investments. The scoping plan lists several initiatives such as the change to energy-efficient electrification in buildings, emphasis on transportation and supporting workers’ transition to clean energy jobs.