The towns of Irondequoit, Brighton, Pittsford, as well as the Village of Pittsford, announced a joint-clean energy partnership that leaders hope will pave the way for 100 percent renewable energy products for residents and small businesses in their areas.

“This is a chance for our communities to take the lead in climate change and promoting clean energy,” Irondequoit Town Supervisor Dave Seeley said.

The four municipalities executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to allow for the joint selection of a third-party administrator to secure a 100 percent renewable clean energy product. Should the towns proceed, residents would remain RG&E customers with the only change being the source of the energy supply provided by the utility, often at a lower cost. Residents would also have the option to opt out and continue to receive the default uility should they wish to do so.

Today, I joined @townofbrighton Sup. @BillMoehle1 & @PittsfordTown Sup. Bill Smith to announced a joint effort to procure 100% clean energy for RG&E ratepayers in our respective communities. It's time for local communities to lead the way on climate change. pic.twitter.com/5E4I8Bk4mp — Dave Seeley (@daveseeley430) December 12, 2018

“We’re not becoming a utility company. We’re simply using collective buying power to get a better energy product that they can have distributed to them by RG&E,” Seeley said.

The partnership is possible because of the NYS Public Service Comission's Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Program. It's a relatively new concept in New York — it launched in Westchester County in 2016 and according to the town of Irondequoit press release, has already saved nearly $10 million for utility customers there, with most choosing a 100 percent green supply.

“We all share a love for our Earth, and we want to make sure we do our part to make sure we follow the lead of science, and make sure we do what we can do to reduce our carbon footprint.” Brighton town supervisor William Moehle said.

This new Monroe County partnership represents one of the largest collaborative CCA efforts in New York State, encompassing potentially over 50,000 customers.

“Anything that helps improve the environment should be on the top of our priority list," Irondequoit resident, Bill Bumpus said. "I’m quite concerned with climate change, and that certainly has to do with the environment. And to me, clean energy fits right in.”