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Planning staff outline greenhouse-gas inventory update, energy roadmap refresh and water grants
Summary
Planning staff told the committee they will present an updated greenhouse-gas inventory in May, refresh the county energy roadmap with CASE advisory board participation by June, and continue DEC-funded creek corridor analyses for 6 Mile Creek and Fall Creek; they also warned FEMA delays have complicated hazard mitigation funding.
Tompkins County planning staff briefed the Planning, Energy and Environmental Quality Committee on March 5 about departmental priorities for 2025, including a greenhouse-gas inventory update, an energy roadmap refresh, watershed grant work and hazard mitigation planning.
Katie described the greenhouse-gas inventory update — carried out every five years — with analyst Terry Carroll completing the bulk of the analysis and a planned committee presentation in May. The department will refresh the county energy roadmap (last prepared in 2016) to reassess data assumptions and incorporate changed technology, including increases in local solar potential. Planning staff said the Climate and Sustainable Energy (CASE) advisory board will act as the steering committee for the roadmap and community outreach.
On water resources, staff noted two DEC grants: 6 Mile Creek (further along) and Fall Creek (consultant selection ongoing) to support creek corridor analysis and flood-risk assessment. Work will consider sediment management, possible storage or retention sites and coordination with municipalities, Finger Lakes Land Trust and Soil & Water Conservation District partners. Staff warned FEMA delays and contracting slowdowns have hampered hazard-mitigation funding approvals; they said the office is working nationally to identify strategies to secure mitigation grants and may break requests into smaller amounts to improve approval chances.
Staff also described farmland conservation work: the county holds conservation easements on more than 2,000 acres and is planning a baseline visit to a 450-acre farm in Lansing in 2026 to ensure easement compliance. Planning staff flagged capacity constraints and asked committee members to limit requests that would require major new staff time.
Next steps: staff will return with the greenhouse-gas inventory presentation in May, energy-roadmap initial analysis in June, and further updates on the DEC creek studies and hazard mitigation funding status as contracts progress.
