POUGHKEEPSIE – Residents in several communities in the Mid-Hudson will be receiving letters from Hudson Valley Community Power, a new consortium aimed at providing 100 percent renewable energy.
The community choice aggregation program will launch on July 1 and include the cities of Beacon and Poughkeepsie, the village of Cold Spring and the towns of Fishkill, Philipstown, Marbletown and Red Hook to leverage collective buying power.
Poughkeepsie City Administrator Marc Nelson said plans have been in the works for about a year.
“Letters are being sent by the program administrator to all consumers, residential and some small businesses in Poughkeepsie giving them the option to opt out of the program if they wish. It’s an automatic enrollment but consumers have the option to opt out,” he said.
In Poughkeepsie, the program was advanced by Council member Sarah Salem.
Mayor Robert Rolison said the program will lower electric rates while sourcing 100 percent of the energy from renewable sources, “a win for everyone who participates and a win for the environment.”
