The Town of Bedford, in Westchester County, has adopted an ambitious 120-page Climate Action Plan detailing how the town will curb its global warming-inducing emissions, according to the Journal News.

Bedford Town Supervisor Lee RobertsThe plan's big picture goal is to reduce Bedford's GHG emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020, compared to 2004 levels.  While some of the plan's suggestions are already in progress, others remain at the aspiration phase. Examples of the plan's ideas include creating bicycle-friendly zones, including hybrid vehicles in the town's fleet, and establishing low-cost residential loans to help residents make their homes more energy-efficient.   

According to Mary Beth Kass, who chairs Bedford's Energy Advisory Panel, the plan is not only about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but is "about saving money, reducing energy use, protecting Bedford's natural resources, improving our air and water quality, improving the health of Bedford residents."

Some residents are concerned that the plan will result in added costs to homeowners. Town Supervisor Lee Roberts, on the other hand, sees the plan as a collection of recommendations geared to benefit residents, including ways for residents to get money for energy efficiency renovations to their homes.

According to the county's acting planning commissioner Edward Buroughs, Bedford is the first municipality in Westchester to incorporate such a detailed emissions reduction plan into its overall development plan.