North Salem to receive grant funding for municipal electrification projects

New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced Wednesday that a total of $2.1 million in grant funding is available to North Salem and several other local municipalities, including Brewster and Bedford, for electrification projects. The announcement came at a press conference held at an electric vehicle charging station in Ossining. Each municipality in the 40th Senate District is eligible for up to $100,000 in grants, which are part of the State Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology Program (CREST) funding.

A bipartisan group of more than a dozen local municipal leaders joined Harckham at the press conference to speak about how they plan to use the grant funding for projects that transition away from fossil fuels and promote a clean energy future.

State Sen. Pete Harckham and other elected officials at Wednesday's press conference in Ossining. Credit: Office of State Sen. Pete Harckham / Victoria Doody

North Salem Town Supervisor Warren Lucas said, “we are very excited about the CREST program, and this announcement is perfect timing for North Salem, as we are installing EV chargers this fall at our Town Hall and Library site and at our Croton Falls commuter and business parking lot. Additionally, we are also planning for a geothermal heating system in our Community Center. Thank you, Senator Harckham, for your continuing support in this area.”

“There are many compelling reasons to support the electrification of our local economies, including the severe effects of climate change we are now experiencing, public health problems related to air pollution and the simple fact that fossil fuel combustion is not a cost-effective way to heat and cool our buildings and power our vehicles,” said Harckham. “In order to meet the carbon-free, reduced greenhouse gas emissions goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, we need to partner with our municipalities right now to help them participate in this energy transition, and that’s what this grant funding will do.”

Harckham said that as chair of Senate’s Environmental Conservation Committee, he would prioritize municipal grant applications that support projects including electric vehicles, EV charging stations, renewable energy generation and municipal building electrification.

New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requires New York to achieve a carbon-free electricity system by 2040 and has set a goal of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2030, and 85% by 2050.

Click here to view a video of the press conference.