The following article is from the May 2007 issue of

April was a busy month with Earth Day and Arbor Day announcements. However some elected officials in the Valley were doing more than just planting trees or cleaning up parks. Several counties took actions to structure their government to better address environmental concerns.

On April 11, Ulster County joined the esteemed group of New York State counties who have 'warmed up' to the idea of combatting global warming by arming themselves with the proper tools to address the issue. Yesterday, County legislators passed a resolution that appointed an eight-person task force made up of representatives from environmental organizations, the Department of Highways and Bridges and Buildings and Grounds, and Ulster County Area Transit. The committee will evaluate the effectiveness of programs and make recommendations to the legislature on an annual basis. Some options already in effect are the use of wind power, hybrid vehicles, and green building standards.

On April 26, Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus named Scott Chase as interim environmental coordinator for "Dutchess Goes Green," an agenda to establish the county as a leader in promoting planning and development strategies that minimize harmful effects on the environment. This appointment comes just a few weeks after the executive proposed a $667,000 bond amendment request for additional funding to pursue LEED Silver Certification for the Eastern Dutchess County Government Center by adding geo-thermal heating and cooling.

On April 27, the Sullivan County Legislature approved a resolution to adopt a suggested Restructuring Plan for County Departments and agencies. The restructuring plan calls for several key changes to County departments including spliting the the Planning and Community Development Division to be into two divisions: the Planning and Environmental Management Division and the Community and Economic Development Division. Dr. William Pammer, who has served as the Commissioner of Planning and Community Development Division since 2004, will assume the Commissioner position for the newly created Planning and Environmental Management Division. In this role, he will continue to administer the update of the county-wide strategic plan entitled Sullivan 2020, a comprehensive, community-based planning process to update the county master plan, which was written in 1962.

Newsletter Issue

• Ecopolitics Monthly --- May 2007