Governor Deval Patrick today joined state and local officials to announce the designation of 13 new Green Communities. With a total of 136 participating cities and towns, more than half of all Massachusetts residents now live in a Green Community.
In addition to recognizing the new communities, Governor Patrick celebrated the success of seven communities in achieving the program's 20 percent energy use reduction goal and released the program's first ever progress report .
"We have developed a nation-leading clean energy agenda because it is the right thing to do for our environment, our energy independence and our public health," said Governor Patrick. "This Green Communities milestone proves again the clean energy revolution is taking hold, and growing, one community at a time."
The newly designated municipalities include Ashburnham, Belmont, Dalton, Dudley, Everett, Goshen, Halifax, Lanesborough, Millville, Pembroke, Upton, Warwick and Wellfleet. The communities were awarded designation grants totaling more than $2 million to support clean energy projects.
"Today, we mark a significant milestone, with more than half the Commonwealth's population now residing in a Green Community," said Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett. "These 136 communities have committed to locking in energy savings, protecting our environment and saving municipal energy dollars."
The seven designated communities that have achieved a 20 percent reduction in municipal energy use are: Arlington, Belchertown, Cambridge, Natick, Palmer, Springfield and Sutton.
Green Communities grants have already supported more than 500 completed projects across the Commonwealth, projected to deliver annual energy cost savings of nearly $4 million.
"I've seen firsthand the enthusiasm and commitment these communities bring to their clean energy projects and initiatives in order save taxpayer dollars and lead by example," said DOER Commissioner Meg Lusardi. "I welcome our newest Green Communities and congratulate those municipalities who have already achieved so much through this program."
DOER's Green Communities Designation and Grant Program, created by the Green Communities Act, rewards communities that win Green Communities designation by meeting five clean energy benchmarks:
-Adopting local zoning bylaw or ordinance that allows "as-of-right siting" -- allowing a project to proceed without requiring a special permit or any time of discretionary approval -- for renewable and/or alternative energy research and development facilities, manufacturing facilities or generation units;
-Adopting an expedited permitting process related to the as-of-right facilities;
-Establishing a municipal energy use baseline and a program to reduce use by 20 percent within five years;
-Purchasing only fuel-efficient vehicles for municipal use, whenever such vehicles are commercially available and practicable; and
-Requiring all new residential construction over 3,000 square feet and all new commercial and industrial real estate construction to reduce lifecycle energy costs (i.e. adoption of an energy-saving building "stretch code").
Once designated by DOER as official Green Communities, cities and towns are eligible for awards to fund local renewable power and energy efficiency projects that advance both municipal and state clean energy goals. Grants awarded so far assist an array of projects across the state, including the installation of solar panels on town office buildings, weatherization at schools and municipal buildings, installation of high-efficiency street lights and a host of energy efficiency upgrades.
Grants for the communities designated today will be funded by Alternative Compliance Payments (ACP) made by electricity suppliers who do not meet their Renewable Portfolio Standard obligation to purchase a sufficient percentage of renewable energy. Green Communities grants also receive funding from proceeds of carbon allowance auctions under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Using a formula that caps awards at $1 million and provides each community with a $125,000 base grant -- plus additional amounts based on other criteria, DOER notified the selected communities of their eligibility for the following funding:
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
The Patrick Administration's aggressive clean energy initiatives have made Massachusetts a leader in energy efficiency, renewable energy and emissions reductions. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently named Massachusetts number one for energy efficiency for the fourth consecutive year. In 2007, Massachusetts had just over 3 megawatts each of solar and wind capacity installed. Today there are 699 megawatts of solar installed, with a goal of 1,600 megawatts by 2020. The Commonwealth has installed 107 megawatts of land-based wind and is poised to be home to the nation's first offshore wind farm.