The Marbletown Town Board continued to plot its path toward 100 percent renewable energy last week with the help of Tom Konrad, from the Environmental Conservation Commission (ECC).

At the recent town board meeting, Konrad gave a preview of a 40-page draft he plans to submit to the board to increase Marbletown’s reliance on renewable energy.

The non-profit Sustainable Hudson Valley approached the ECC in 2018 to create the renewable energy plan. Sustainable Hudson Valley aims to help local municipalities develop their infrastructure with sustainable energy. Data collected by the ECC estimates that the town spends roughly $16 million a year on energy: 40 percent from transportation, 40 percent from heating and 20 percent from electricity. However, with the initiatives planned by the ECC, Konrad hopes to cut the cost to $9 million annually.

“We’re one of the first towns to do this work and we hope to get other municipalities to join us,” Konrad said.

One of the first steps Marbletown took was to set the default energy provider for residents to a renewable energy source. Unless residents choose otherwise, their energy provider will be Direct Energy, which is part of Hudson Valley Community Power. Additionally, old street lights have been replaced with LED bulbs, insulation was improved in town buildings and electric car ports were installed. The town is currently talking with the code enforcement officer to adopt a state-sponsored stretch code initiative, which means that those tasked with making sure new buildings meet current codes also learn about emerging energy-efficient design practices so that they are prepared for future code mandates. One possible impact could be that buildings are designed to be ready to integrate electric car charging ports.

Konrad claimed that if the town stuck to a modest track of green development, the town would approach 80 percent of its final goal by 2040.

As a symbolic nod to its renewable pledge, the board also sent its support for a permanent fracking ban in New York State to legislators in Albany. The law the board supported would impose a permanent ban on “horizontal drilling, high-volume hydraulic fracturing and gelled propane hydraulic fracking,” in New York. These techniques involve pumping chemicals into the earth in order to extract natural gases, and pose perils for water quality and soil pollution.

The board also reached an agreement with Con Edison to make sure its pending solar farm in Stone Ridge is managed properly. When the panels of this three-megawatt solar farm reach the end of their life, the town is guaranteed a $405,000 bond to remove them if necessary.

“We wanted to know that when the solar panels reach the end of their life that we won’t be stuck with the cost of removing them,” Town Supervisor Rich Parete said.

On the business side of the meeting, the board finally passed a resolution allowing the planning board to issue special use permits (SUP) instead of the Marbletown Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). Parete said that Marbletown was the last town in Ulster County to make the switch. Previously, applicants looking for special development, like building a business in a residential area, would have to visit both boards before starting construction. Now, applicants can have their site-plan reviewed and SUP issued by the planning board, then approach the ZBA to dispute their decision.