ALBANY – Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan has been selected as the new chair of the New York State Association Of Counties (NYSAC) Climate Resiliency Committee replacing Tompkins County Legislator Martha Robertson, who is retiring. The bipartisan committee is composed of officials in county positions most directly impacted by changes in the climate. Its membership comes from all regions of the state and work in diverse areas of county and state government, including emergency services, public health, environmental health, solid waste, and elected office.
“Climate change is the defining challenge of our time and counties have incredible potential to lead meaningful change in our communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and harden our resiliency against the effects of a changing climate,” Ryan said. “I’m incredibly proud to be chosen by my colleagues to lead this committee, and I look forward to working with county leaders from across the state and our state partners to develop local solutions to this global challenge.”
The NYSAC Climate Resiliency Committee was created in June of 2018 to help counties across the state work cooperatively on climate change in order to identify needs and influence state policies, programs, or enabling legislation.
In April, County Executive Ryan released his Green New Deal plan for Ulster County. Joined by environmental leaders from throughout the Hudson Valley, the report consists of over 30 goals and targets making Ulster County the first County in New York State and among the first in the nation to release a comprehensive Green New Deal plan.
