The opportunity for Gardinerites to sign onto a plan to purchase cheaper, greener electricity via Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) came closer to reality last week, when the town board authorized a Memorandum of Understanding with Katonah-based Joule Community Power to serve as Gardiner’s administrator to implement a CCA program.
According to councilman Franco Carucci, a clean-energy advocate who has shepherded the plan from the outset, town residents should be able to opt into the aggregate power-buying program within less than ten months.
Carucci also obtained the town board’s approval to pursue certification for Gardiner as a Clean Energy Community. Coupled with its Climate Smart Community program – already well under way – the town will be more favorably positioned to obtain grants from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
Many of the goals and activities on the Clean Energy checklist replicate those already achieved by Gardiner for Climate Smart certification, Carucci noted. Implementing CCA will push the town closer to qualifying for grants under both programs.