Environment, Energy & Land Use

NACo’s Rural Energy Academy empowers county leaders with the information and support needed to make energy decisions that work best for their communities.

NACo empowers counties with the tools and resources needed to consider and facilitate energy projects best suited for local communities. NACo is developing resources and tailored guidance to assist local governments in navigating the opportunities and challenges of different energy industries. 

NACo works to strengthen county resiliency by building leadership capacity to identify and manage risk, and allow counties to become more flexible and responsive.

The Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities initiative connects coal communities, supports local leaders and builds capacity in under-resourced communities to advance new approaches and projects for economic diversification. 

SolSmart is a national program that helps cities, towns, counties and regional organizations become solar energy ready.

The U.S. Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative Program helps manage encroachment and incompatible development near military installations. The program forms partnerships that protect military operations from restrictive development and strengthens long-term relationships between the Department of Defense and counties.