Select Board Assessing Becoming A climate Leader Community

HARWICH – The town is considering additional measures to address climate change, including becoming a Climate Leader Community.

Valerie Bell, chair of the town’s energy and climate action committee, made a presentation to the select board on April 7 highlighting the advantages of becoming a state-approved Climate Leader Community, including the ability to access state grants of up to $1 million.

Bell said the town has been a Green Community since 2019 and has received close to $500,000 in state grants, including a just-announced $135,388 grant for heat pumps at the community center. Green Community grants are capped at $225,000. Climate Leader grants are capped at $1 million.

The state-approved Climate Leader Community program is the next step to addressing climate change, said Bell. The Green Community initiative focuses on energy-saving programs while the Climate Leader program seeks to create a next-generation road map in climate policy focusing on decarbonization. The goal is to reach net-zero use of fossil fuels by 2050.

There are six steps in becoming a Climate Leader, according to Bell, and Harwich has already met some. They include being a Green Community in good standing and having a local sustainability and energy committee advising the municipality on clean energy and climate initiatives. The town’s energy and climate action committee fits that bill, she said.

The town must commit to eliminate onsite fuel use for municipal buildings and operations by 2050. Bell said the town approved a resolution in 2020 declaring that climate change is an emergency, and the language in that resolution could be adjusted to meet the state requirement.

The town must also create a municipal decarbonization road map, adopt a zero-emission vehicle policy, and adopt a specialized building code. The road map would include looking at electric vehicles and equipment options when making purchases.

Chevrolet has designed an electric vehicle with police services in mind, she said, adding that Caterpillar has designed an electric hybrid bulldozer that reduces cost on service and maintenance, is up to 35 percent more fuel efficient and produces up to 20 percent less CO2 emissions.

Town meeting would also have to adopt the specialized opt-in stretch building code that would not allow the use of fossil fuel-based systems in municipal facilities.

The state provides consultant grants to help communities create the road maps to reach the milestones, Bell said. The town has to file an application for consultant support by the July 25 deadline, she said. 

The town does not have a designated staff member to do the necessary work. Bell said there is an intern program set up through the Massachusetts Climate and Innovation Center that could provide an intern to assist the town in putting together the necessary information to apply for  a consultant grant. It would cost the town $2,500.

Bell said the town of Truro has already met the six requirements to become a Climate Leader and has submitted its application to the state. There are several other Cape communities that have received grants for assistance in creating a road map, including Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet.

Select Board member Donald Howell said he definitely supports the goal, but he would like to see more details on the advanced stretch code the town would have to approve.

“It’s trying to do better for the planet, I can agree with that,” Select Board member Peter Piekarski said. 

Town Administrator Joseph Powers said the decarbonization road map would be a statement from the select board. The town could pursue the road map grant, he added. Bell made it clear that developing the road map would not obligate the town to continue pursuit of the program.

Select Board member Julie Kavanagh offered a motion to pursue the road map grant. But board member Michael MacAskill said he needed more information on the program and was not ready to vote. Chair Jeffrey Handler also said he was not prepared to vote, so the motion was withdrawn.    

“The state is providing a lot of carrots,” Bell said. “Eventually the carrots will disappear and it will become a mandate. We should be in front of it, not behind it.”

The board agreed they would take up the Climate Leader Community discussion again right after town meeting.