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The Town of Niles strives to preserve and sustain its beautiful, historic and livable environment for many generations to come. The Climate Action Plan (CAP) serves to inform residents of the numerous potential impacts that climate and the environment will exert on the Niles community. It provides information that will allow the town and its residents to be prepared and meet the challenge together. Future concerns are addressed in the Plan from three perspectives: increased energy efficiency, reduction of emissions and the increased use of renewable resources. To view the final CAP document, visit www.cayugacounty.us/townofniles/. The Plan also includes a technical appendix document, or Appendix C: Action Strategy Summary Document. This document includes detailed information about each emissions reduction strategy, including strategy descriptions, calculations and sourcing information, potential cost savings, potential emissions reductions, payback periods, co- benefits of implementing each strategy, and case-study examples of where each strategy has been implemented successfully elsewhere. The town’s emissions are broken down into two categories: 1) emissions from municipal operations and 2) emissions from the community-at-large. The Plan includes strategies that could help reduce emissions from both municipal operations and the community. The town’s goal is to reduce municipal emissions by 7.5% by the year 2025 and to reduce community emissions by 8.9% by the year 2025. The Plan includes charts and graphs to explain what can be accomplished and the benefits of actions once they are implemented. A blueprint for climate adaptability by the Town of Niles is also explained in an outline at the end of the CAP document. The Plan leads the way to a successful coalition of all the community’s sectors towards building a better future for the residents of Niles. The Niles community is encouraged to utilize the recommendations in the CAP to continue to take steps to reduce energy use, encourage sustainable development, and reduce emissions. Town of Niles Climate Action Plan: Executive Summary ---PAGE BREAK--- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Summary: 2010 Baseline Year What is a GHG Inventory? The first step in climate action planning is to compile a GHG inventory. A GHG emissions inventory is an audit of activities that contribute to the release of emissions, such as burning fossil fuels for energy. For Niles’ GHG inventory, energy use and waste generation information for the 2010 year was gathered and methods of calculation explained in the Local Government Operations Protocol and the U.S. Community Operations Protocol developed by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability were utilized to generate emissions figures. Data regarding municipal and community-wide energy use and waste production were entered into ICLEI’s ClearPath software, which then produced emissions figures. Data from the inventory can be used to guide policy decisions and energy improvements, inform sustainability projects, and build public support for broader sustainability initiatives in the Town of Niles. Niles’ GHG inventory reported emissions of 177 MTCO2e from municipal operations, 6,126 MTCO2e from the community at large, and 2,478 MTCO2e from agricultural activities in the 2010 baseline year. The GHG inventory serves as the baseline for the Climate Action Plan. 2010 Community Emissions (6,126 MTCO2e) 2010 Municipal Operations Emissions (177 MTCO2e) 1 MTCO2e = CO2 emissions from 112 gallons of gasoline consumed CO2 emissions from 2.3 barrels of oil consumed CO2 emissions from 41.7 propane cylinders used for home barbeques Carbon sequestered by almost 1 acre of U.S. forests in one year Did You Know...? MTCO2e stands for metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. MTCO2e is the metric used to describe emissions from greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Because these gases have different global warming potentials, they are converted and aggregated into a single metric, MTCO2e, in order to explain GHG emissions information. Buildings & Facilities 26 (15%) Streetlights & Traffic Signals 0.1 Vehicle Fleet 151 (85%) Residential Energy Use, 2,212 , 36% Commercial Energy Use, 1,187 , 20% Transportation, 2,286, 37% Waste, 441 , 7% 2010 Agricultural Emissions (2,478 MTCO2e) Enteric fermentation 506 (20%) Manure management 1,972 (80%) ---PAGE BREAK--- Climate Action Plan Summary How was the Plan developed? Niles’ Climate Action Plan was developed by an advisory committee made up of Charlie Greene, Town Supervisor, Kathleen Gorr, Board of Appeals, Don Klein, Board of Appeals, Janet Stinson, Town Resident, and Jerry VeVone, Code Enforcement Officer. The committee was provided technical assistance by the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNY RPDB). CNY RPDB provided information and suggestions to the advisory committee as to which energy efficiency strategies would be most successful in the town based on calculations regarding potential emissions reductions, cost savings, energy savings, and payback period. For more information on how the strategies were developed, including calculations of monetary savings, payback periods, assumptions and references, refer to Appendix C: Action Strategy Summary Document, found at www.cayugacounty.us/townofniles/. To view the final Climate Action Plan document, please also visit www.cayugacounty.us/townofniles/. How will the Plan be implemented? In order to implement the strategies in the Climate Action Plan and achieve Niles’ sustainability goals, the Plan should be implemented by the town with the help of relevant groups and stakeholders, such as the advisory committee, CNY RPDB, and others. Municipal Operations Analysis 2010 Emissions: 177 MTCO2e Estimated emissions reductions by 2025 from strategy implementation: 13 MTCO2e Total estimated cost of implementation: $84,619 Total estimated annual cost savings: $9,786 Estimated payback period: 8.65 years Municipal Operations Strategies Included in Climate Action Plan • Municipal solar PV • Energy efficiency audit and retrofits at Town Hall • T-8 bulb retrofit • Geothermal at Town Garage CommunityAnalysis 2010 Emissions: 6,126 MTCO2e Estimated emissions reductions by 2025 from strategy implementation: 543 MTCO2e Total estimated cost of implementation: $1,200,955 Total estimated annual cost savings: $1,734,195 Estimated payback period: 0.69 years Community Strategies Included in Climate Action Plan • Weatherization of homes • Residential solar PV • Reduce VMT through creation of community center • Encourage infrastructure for telecommuting • Loans for energy efficiency retrofits • Geothermal heat pump • Energy efficiency and composting education • Small wind energy • Tree planting • Commercial solar PV • Lighting occupancy sensors • Micro-hydraulic power ---PAGE BREAK--- MTCO2e 2010 Total GHG Baseline Emissions 2025 GHG Emissions Home weatherization 5400 5500 5600 5700 5800 5900 6000 6100 62006,126 5,583 129 Residential solar PV 70 64 Reduce VMT: Community Center Telecommuting 63 Home retrofits 59 Geothermal heat pump 45 Energy efficiency and composting education 45 Small wind energy 35 Tree planting 19 Commercial solar PV 9 Lighting occupancy sensors 5 -8.9% The graph to the left shows Niles’ 2010 baseline municipal emissions as recorded by the GHG inventory report, potential reductions due to suggested strategies, and potential emissions in 2025 should each of the suggested strategies be implemented. It is estimated that there will be a 7.5% reduction in municipal emissions if all suggested strategies are implemented. For more detailed information about these strategies, please refer to the Climate Action Plan and Appendix C: Action Strategy Summary Document. The graph to the right shows Niles’ 2010 baseline community emissions as recorded by the GHG inventory report, potential reductions due to suggested strategies, and potential emissions in 2025 should each of the suggested strategies be implemented. It is estimated that there will be a 11.5% reduction in community emissions if all suggested community reduction strategies are implemented. For more detailed information about these strategies, please refer to the Climate Action Plan and Appendix A: Action Strategy Summary Document. Estimated Emissions Reductions by Strategy Municipal Operations Strategies Community Strategies 11 Municipal solar PV Key: Illustrates emissions reductions in MTCO2e Emissions reduction strategy name 150 155 160 165 170 175 180 177 164 11 Municipal solar PV Energy audit and retrofit at Town Hall 2 T-8 bulb retrofit at Town Hall 0.2 MTCO2e 2010 Total GHG Baseline Emissions 2025 GHG Emissions -7.5%