Susan Gillespie, current President of Communities for Local Power, gave us a quick rundown last month on what they are doing. It is impressive.

They have been working hard to get NYS to help with the consumer utility (electric and gas) debt accrued during Covid, and in June Governor Hochul did sign the Utility Bill Credit Program for low income customers and in the face of 48,000 Central Hudson customers carrying more than 60 days' debt. However the $250+million is not enough and CLP was pushing hard for shareholders of Fortis Inc., the Canadian based owner of Central Hudson, to shoulder some of the cost - at an average ROI of around 6%, it would seem they could afford a minor cut in dividends. CLP has also been pushing the PSC (Public Service Commission) to deny CH's planned rate increase, but it seems to have gone through in July.

Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) is CLP's major initiative, and it is good to hear how they are taking advantage of new CCA practices so that Kingston's CCA when it comes, can offer, not only all residents the opportunity to save, but also supporting programs that bring financial incentives for energy efficiency and regenerative programs, such as composting and tree planting. With Mid Hudson Energy Transition (MHET) as the Kingston (and Newburgh's) CCA administrator, we will see a new generation of CCA's in the Hudson Valley.

CLC continues to run a program offering a paid training program for green jobs based in Kingston. Thank you CLC!

Climate Grief Conversations continue on the first Thursday of every month (next one August 4th) at the Good Work Institute 6-8pm. It is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share in a group context, one that will be facilitated confidentially and with care, support and a sense of belonging.