Ulster County Municipal Energy Technical Assistance

HVRC is under contract with Ulster County on an innovative initiative – Ulster County Municipal Energy Technical Assistance, or UC META.  As the first designated Clean Energy Community by NYSERDA, and a Silver Climate Smart Community, Ulster County is dedicated to environmental leadership.  The UC META Program showcases the County’s commitment to organizing a significant portion of its climate program around creating conditions for success at the municipal level.  County Executive Jen Metzger has been a leader in addressing climate change in the Mid-Hudson Region;  in February 2026 she affirmed the County’s commitment to address climate change with an Executive Order that builds on the Executive Order she issued three years ago to align the County’s actions with the NYS Climate Act.  The UC META Program was developed to support this commitment.  In addition, this initiative is informing the County’s broader CCAP strategy:  by working with municipalities, the County is learning and innovating along the way to determine how to expedite climate solutions as part of County Executive Metzger’s 2023 and 2026 Executive Orders. 

Evelyn Laferriere, CEC & CSC Coordinator with HVRC, is dedicating 50% of her time to this program.  She is in the process of connecting with Ulster County municipalities, identifying clean energy projects in need of technical assistance, and providing project management support.   Interested Ulster County communities can connect with Evelyn at elaferriere@hudsonvalleyrc.org.