Westchester County Executive Andy Spano Announces Task Force on Climate Change and Sustainable Development

Westchester County Executive Andy Spano announced the creation of a first-ever countywide task force on climate change during the NYLCV annual Westchester dinner on October 27.

The task force is charged with setting goals for greenhouse gas emissions in Westchester and developing a sustainability plan that will help reduce energy and water consumption and promote responsible use of land.

Specifically, the Westchester Global Warming Task Force will:

• Update a 2001 inventory of total greenhouse gas produced in Westchester
• Recommend a greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal over the next decade and a strategy to achieve the goal
• Identify possible actions to achieve the goal specific to each sector as well as to individual households
• Recommend a sustainable development program for Westchester to reduce energy and water consumption, improve air and water quality, reduce solid waste and the use of toxic materials and promote land use compatible with these priorities
• Develop a plan to monitor progress
• Assist all sectors with their changes

The task force will be comprised of representatives of local government, businesses, schools, colleges, and the environmental community. Members will be chaired by North Castle Supervisor Reese Berman and Robert Funicello, Westchester County's environmental project director. Appointed task force members include Paul Gallay and Edna Sussman, board members of the NYLCV Westchester chapter.

In 2000, a federal report revealed that New York, with its extensive coastline, is likely to suffer heavy economic and social costs from climate change, including floods, heat waves, drought, heavy pollution, and other major public health risks.

To read the press release announcing the Westchester Global Warming Task Force, please visit http://www.westchestergov.com/whatsnew/pressfr.htm.