Every two years, the New York League of Conservation Voters Westchester Chapter works closely with local advocates to develop a policy agenda. This Blueprint for a Greener Westchester provides specific actions government officials can take to fight climate change, conserve our lands and waters, and protect public health.
Sustainable Development: Municipalities can combat climate change by creating livable, sustainable communities. We will advance modernized zoning to encourage mixed land use, compact development, downtown revitalization, open space protection, and historic preservation.
Renewables: Renewable energy can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution across the region, but it is challenging to site large-scale renewable energy installations and can be needlessly difficult to install small-scale renewable technology. These challenges must be addressed before Indian Point shuts down in 2021, or we risk replacing its power with dirty fuels. We will work with municipal and county governments to establish guidelines for siting utility-scale renewable energy in order to reduce red tape and create new incentives for small-scale renewable energy.
Clean Air: With the recent passage of legislation to phase out No. 4 and No. 6 home heating oil, we will work to speed up conversions and retrofits to cleaner, more efficient heating systems. We will continue working to reduce emissions from power plants and automobiles, including a push for more electric school buses and targeted interventions to protect environmental justice communities.
Electric Vehicles: Electric vehicles (EVs) reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce zero emissions, improving air quality. We will continue our successful advocacy efforts to increase the number of EVs in municipal fleets and expand the EV charging station network throughout Westchester.