Greenhouse Gas Inventory Annual Reports
Published on April 25, 2024
Executive Order No. 1 of 2023 commits the Ulster County government to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, with an interim target of twenty-five percent (25%) by 2025.This report details the status of each of these goals.
Published on April 01, 2023
This report details the status of Ulster County's efforts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions associated with its operations.
Published on April 01, 2022
This report details the status of Ulster County's efforts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions associated with its operations.
Published on April 01, 2021
This report details the status of Ulster County's efforts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions associated with its operations.
Published on March 01, 2019
This report details the status of Ulster County's efforts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions associated with its operations.
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets
The County's GHG reduction targets are detailed in Executive Order 1 of 2023, Executive Order 1 of 2019(PDF, 117KB) and Legislative Resolution No. 315.1 of 2019(PDF, 174KB).
These goals include reducing GHG emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, compared to the 2012 GHG inventory. They also include supplying 100% of annual building and fleet electricity from locally generated renewable energy sources by the year 2030.
About the GHG Inventory
The Government Operations Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory is a component of the Government Operations Climate Action Plan.
For Ulster County, the annual GHG Inventory is a necessary tool for determining the quantity of offsets required each year to achieve net carbon neutral operations. These offsets are not counted as actual reductions in emissions or as progress toward GHG reduction goals. The GHG accounting in the inventory report assumes the absence of all offsets.
It is important to note that GHG inventories can differ substantially in scope and methods. They vary because of differences in the type of organization that is undergoing an inventory (e.g. a small municipality versus a state), they can vary due to the type of data that is available for conducting the inventory, and they can vary due to the goals of the inventory. However, in order for the inventory to be used for long term comparison and evaluation, the analysis methods must be consistent across time.
Data collection processes play an important role in achieving this consistency. The Ulster County Department of the Environment has improved its data collection methods through the preparation of two annual reports: the Green Fleet Policy Report and the Building Benchmarking Report. Both of these reports are mandated by legislative policy and provide the energy use information for annual updates to the County’s GHG Inventory.
Related Reports
Building Energy Benchmarking: The annual Building Benchmarking Report tracks energy consumption and calculates greenhouse gas emissions for County-owned or occupied buildings. It is due for submittal by September 1st for the prior year of data.
Green Fleet Initiative: The annual Green Fleet Report documents fuel usage and emissions from the County fleet, assesses actions taken in pursuit of the County's sustainable fleet goals, and recommends further actions to meet those goals. It is due for submittal by March 1st for the prior year of data.