Green Communities Division: Partnering with MA Cities and Towns Mark Sylvia Seth Pickering Green Communities Division

1. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create a Greener Energy Future
The Green Communities Division –
Partnering with Massachusetts
Cities and Towns
Mark Sylvia, Director
Green Communities Division
Seth Pickering, Regional Coordinator
Green Communities Division
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
Deval L. Patrick, Governor
Timothy P. Murray, Lt. Governor
Ian A. Bowles, Secretary
Phil Giudice, Commissioner
Massachusetts Association of
Planning Directors 2010
Conference
John Carver Inn, Plymouth
June 3, 2010

2. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
Massachusetts
 Cleaner energy is an important part of our future
- Key priorities of the Patrick Administration
● Green Communities Act
● Global Warming Solutions Act
● Green Jobs Act
- Landmark Green Communities Act in 2008
provides a strong foundation
- Important progress is underway focusing on
energy efficiency, investment in renewables and
creation of the green communities program
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3. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future3
DOER Mission
Creating a Greener Energy Future,
economically and environmentally:
– Achieving all cost-effective energy efficiencies,
– Maximizing development of greener energy
resources,
– Creating and leading implementation of energy
strategies to assure reliable supplies and improve
relative cost, and
– Supporting clean tech companies and spurring
clean energy employment.

4. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
Serving as the hub to all Massachusetts
cities and towns on all matters related to
energy
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Green Communities Division

5. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future5
Green Communities Division
 DOER Programs/Support for Municipalities
– MassEnergyInsight – formerly EIS
– Green Communities Grant, Loan and Technical
Assistance Program
– Energy Audit Program (EAP) / 3 Year EE Plans
– Energy Performance Contracting Technical
Assistance
– ARRA Stimulus support
– Regional Coordinators

6. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future6
MassEnergyInsight is available free of charge to all 351 cities and
towns. This tool provides access to comprehensive up-to-date energy
usage and cost information. 125 cities and towns are currently using
the tool. Among the uses are:
(1)Benchmarking consumption and identify priority targets
(2)Measure results
(3)Develop and monitor emissions inventory and track and report emissions
reductions.
Standard Features include:
•Electronic download of utility data
•Standard and custom reporting
•Integration of utility billing/usage data
with building and energy end-use information
www.massenergyinsight.net

7. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
GREEN COMMUNITIES GRANT PROGRAM
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Approximately $8,100,000 available
in grants for FY 2010 to qualifying
communities:
Grants will fund significant energy efficiency
initiatives, renewable energy, innovative
projects
Thirty five communities from throughout the
state were designated Green
Communities by Governor Patrick in May
One hundred and five communities are
receiving planning assistance to become
Green Communities

8. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
DESIGNATED GREEN COMMUNITIES

9. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
 Communities ranged in population from Becket
(1,800) to Worcester (182,000)
 Ten communities enacted as of right zoning for
renewable generation
– Nine (inc Kingston) provide for ground mounted pv of 250kw
– Wenham and Kingston provide for wind of 600kw
 Thirty of the thirty five designees received planning
assistance
 All thirty five communities met the five criteria (for
criterion 5 all thirty five adopted the stretch code)
 Due to number of designated communities and the
amount of available funding, grants will be allocated
by formula – ranging from $135,000 to $988,000
GREEN COMMUNITIES BREAKDOWN

10. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
FY 2010 DESIGNATION AND GRANT
APPLICATION TIMELINE
 April 21, 2010
Deadline to request a preliminary consultation (13 municipalities)
 May 14, 2010
Deadline for designation applications to be submitted by communities intending on
submitting grant applications by June 4, 2010
 June 4, 2010
Grant Applications due
 June 28, 2010
Announce Grant Awards
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11. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
 Qualification Criteria (5)
– Adopt as-of-right siting, in designated locations,
for RE/AE generation, or RE/AE R&D, or RE/AE
manufacturing
– Adopt expedited (12 month)
application/permitting process
– Establish an energy use baseline inventory with
a program to reduce baseline by 20% in 5 years
– Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles
– Require all new residential construction > 3000
ft2, and new commercial and industrial real
estate construction to minimize life-cycle energy
costs
GREEN COMMUNITIES CRITERIA

12. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
STRETCH CODE COMMUNITIES
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13. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future13
Technical assistance for all buildings owned and operated by cities,
towns, regional school districts and waste water treatment plants
through:
• Benchmarking of structures and detailed energy audits
• Working with Investor Owned Utilities on transitioning the
funding and auditing components of the EAP – 135 local
governmental entities in queue to receive services
Three Year Energy Efficiency Plans
• Investor owned electric and gas utilities are required to provide
all available energy efficiency and demand reduction resources
that cost less than new energy supply
• Utilities will provide more robust rebates, incentives and
programs to meet their goals.
• Plans – IOUs to invest $2.2 billion in EE measures over 3 yrs
ENERGY AUDIT PROGRAM /
ENERGY EFFICIENCY PLANS

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ENERGY AUDIT PROGRAM

15. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
 Provide a guide, model RFR/RFQ and model
contract documents
 Review bid documents
 Educate and guide communities through the process
- Approximately 25 municipal performance contracts
- Approximately 13 municipalities in process
Contact: Eileen McHugh, eileen.mchugh@state.ma.us,
617-626-7305
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Energy Performance Contracting Technical
Assistance – MGL c25A sections 11C and 11i

16. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
Federal Funding Opportunities
ARRA
 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG)
Municipalities > 35,000 (direct grants from US DOE)
 $27,000,000 / 43 communities to receive grant funds
Municipalities < 35,000 (competitive grants through DOER)
 $14,752,000 awarded to MA
97 communities receiving $12,200,000 in grants and 35 communities will
share $825,000 in technical consulting
 State Revolving Fund
– Install 4.1 megawatts (MW) of solar energy at 12 public water and wastewater
treatment facilities worth $20,000,000
 Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds PON-ENE-2010-024
– Bond allocation available for large local governments with a population of
100,000 or greater. Five cities and five counties are eligible. Applications on a
rolling basis
– Any municipality within an abolished county with a population of 100,000 greater
may apply for allocation no later than July 9, 2010.
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17. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
OUTREACH - REGIONAL COORDINATORS
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 Email updates via listserv (~1000 subscribers)
 Regional Coordinators act as direct liaisons with cities
and towns on energy efficiency and renewable energy
activities
 Located at each of the DEP Regional Offices:
– SERO – LAKEVILLE: Seth Pickering
 seth.pickering@state.ma.us
– NERO – WILMINGTON: Joanne Bissetta:
 joanne.bissetta@state.ma.us
– CERO – WORCESTER: Kelly Brown
 kelly.brown@state.ma.us
– WERO – SPRINGFIELD: Jim Barry
 jim.barry@state.ma.us

18. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
New for 2010
 Green Communities Grant Program Roll Out
 MassEnergyInsight Roll Out
 Development of Energy Procurement Guidance
 Revisions to 25A 11C, 11I regulations
 Newsletter and case studies
 Online library
 Statewide energy programs
 Fact Sheets (renewables, etc.)
 Partnerships
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19. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
Green Communities Contacts
Mark Sylvia – Director
mark.sylvia@state.ma.us (617) 626-7339
Meg Lusardi – Deputy Director
meg.lusardi@state.ma.us (617) 626-7364
 Website:
www.mass.gov/energy/greencommunities
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20. Helping Massachusetts Municipalities Create A Greener Energy Future
Other Resources
 Department of Energy Resources: www.mass.gov/doer
– Energy Efficiency Division
– Renewables Division
– Energy Markets Division
– Green Communities Division
 Three Year Efficiency Plans: www.masssave.com
 Clean Energy Center: www.masscec.com
– Investments in Clean Technology
– Workforce Development
– Renewable Energy
– Clean Energy Sector Development
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