Colton Urges State Climate Education Campaign

The St. Lawrence County town asks New York's Department of Environmental Conservation to hold public climate meetings in every county.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Environmental

Colton Urges State Climate Education Campaign

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The Town of Colton passed a resolution urging the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to launch a public climate education campaign. The resolution raises concerns that greenhouse gas emissions are not falling at the pace set by the 2015 Paris Agreement and the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

Why it matters

Colton leaders say the town has spent millions of dollars repairing infrastructure damaged by extreme heavy rain, ice storms and microbursts. They hope a public education campaign will build broader support for climate resilience from both the public and private sectors.

The resolution cites a 2030 New York emissions reduction goal and millions of dollars in Colton infrastructure repairs from extreme weather, but it does not provide an exact repair total. Whether the DEC will hold the requested public meetings has not been announced.

The players

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

The state agency responsible for environmental protection and regulation in New York, which the Town of Colton has asked to launch a public climate education campaign.

Kathy Hochul

The Governor of New York, who launched the CHARGE climate agenda in September.

United Nations

The international organization that publishes the Adaptation Gap Report and will host its 31st annual climate conference in Turkey next week.

The details

The resolution asks the DEC to hold public meetings in every county in New York State, beginning with St. Lawrence County, where it would present scientific facts on climate change consequences and mitigation solutions. The town passed it as a formal action urging the agency to take up the campaign.

Last year: New York lawmakers scaled back some state climate mandates related to the 2030 emissions goal during budget negotiations.
September: Gov. Kathy Hochul launched a climate agenda called CHARGE, which includes a $1 billion investment in free efficiency upgrades for low-income households.
Last month: The Town of Colton passed the resolution.
Next week: The United Nations holds its 31st annual climate conference in Turkey.
2027: An interim energy infrastructure blueprint is due.

Seasonal Patterns

The resolution places Colton's infrastructure damage from heavy rain, ice storms and microbursts within a state climate framework set by the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. It positions the town's local repair costs as evidence that the state's emissions pace has not kept up with the adaptation needs it documents.

Residents of Colton and St. Lawrence County may see public climate meetings if the DEC accepts the resolution's request. Local taxpayers already face repair costs from extreme weather, which the town says have reached millions of dollars.

The takeaway

Local communities facing repeated storm damage are increasingly asking state agencies to share climate information directly with residents. Tracking whether the DEC responds to requests like Colton's can show how quickly state climate goals translate into public outreach.

What happens next

The state's interim energy infrastructure blueprint is due in 2027, and the DEC has not yet announced whether it will hold the public meetings the resolution requests.