GREEN COMMUNITIES ACT

In 2008, the Massachusetts Legislature adopted the Green Communities Act. This act provides funding for designated communities to implement alternative and renewable energy projects. The funding comes from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI, pronounced "reggie"). A system has been established by which companies can buy credits for their greenhouse gas emissions at an annual auction. The proceeds of those auctions are then used to fund local energy projects.

In order to become designated as a Green Community, a town must meet five criteria. These include the following:

1. Provide for the as-of-right siting of renewable or alternative energy generating facilities, renewable or alternative energy research and development (R&D) facilities, or renewable or alternative energy manufacturing facilities in designated locations.

2. Adopt an expedited application and permitting process under which these energy facilities may be sited within the municipality and which shall not exceed 1 year from the date of initial application to the date of final approval.

3. Establish an energy use baseline inventory for municipal buildings, vehicles, street and traffic lighting, and put in place a comprehensive program designed to reduce this baseline by 20 percent within 5 years of initial participation in the program.

4. Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles for municipal use whenever such vehicles are commercially available and practicable.

5. Require all new residential construction over 3,000 square feet and all new commercial and industrial real estate construction to minimize, to the extent feasible, the life-cycle cost of the facility by utilizing energy efficiency, water conservation and other renewable or alternative energy technologies.

In my opinion, we could achieve 4 out of 5 of these relatively easily. Since we do not have any industrial zoning districts in which energy manufacturing or R&D facilities could locate, we would have to achieve #1 by allowing energy generating facilities by right. We could do this by allowing solar facilities within or adjacent to our electrical transmission lines. Solar panels (even one sized for commercial quantities of electricity) are relatively benign.

Similarly, we could achieve #2 by adopting an expedited permitting process ensuring that a permit would be granted (actually "decided," it could still be denied) within a year. Rarely do any permitting processes take more than a few months now so this would be very easy to comply with.

#4 is also easy. Heavy duty vehicles and police vehicles are exempt. The policy only applies to administrative vehicles. However, we would need to commit to energy-efficient police vehicles when they become commercially available.

#5 may be a little controversial. It would require adoption of the currently-optional "stretch code" component of the State Building Code. It simply requires more energy efficiency in new houses and other buildings. This increases up-front costs but saves money in the future since the building would use less energy. As energy prices increase, the payback period decreases.

The one I see as the most difficult is #3. First, it requires that we establish a baseline for total municipal energy use (including schools, town buildings, town vehicles and streetlights) and then commit to reduce this usage by 20% within 5 years. There is a free software program provided by the state to help with the inventory and the utility companies can provide usage information. However, some effort is needed to document square footage, number of employees using the space, etc. to complete this task.

Once a community earns the "Green Community" designation, it becomes eligible for the grants mentioned above that can be used to build alternative energy facilities in Town (and help meet the 20% reduction). Therefore, it is similar to the Community Preservation Act in one respect because the early adopters get to maximize the financial benefits. However, the primary benefits are simply the cost savings that result from reduced energy use as well as the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.