Baker-Polito Administration Awards Over $14 Million in Green Communities Grants

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The Baker-Polito Administration today awarded $14,043,257 in Green Communities competitive grants to 72 municipalities across Massachusetts to fund clean energy projects. With today’s announcement, the largest in the program’s seven year history, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has awarded over $80 million to Green Communities grants since the program’s inception. 185 Massachusetts cities and towns have currently earned the Green Communities designation.

“Today’s grant announcement is the largest award in the Green Communities program history and represents our Administration’s commitment to supporting clean energy efforts for our partners in cities and towns across Massachusetts,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The projects funded by these grants will allow cities and towns across the Commonwealth to reinvest their energy savings in vital public services like schools, public safety, and local infrastructure.”

“As we work to meet our ambitious energy and emission reduction goals, the Green Communities program gives our municipal partners the resources they need to continue building upon the substantial energy progress each city and town has already made,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “We look forward to the continued success in energy innovation these grants will ensure across the Commonwealth.”

Under the Green Communities Act, cities and towns must meet five criteria to be designated a Green Community and receive funding. The grants provide financial support for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that further the designated communities’ clean energy goals. This sixth annual round of DOER Green Communities competitive grants is awarded to existing Green Communities that have successfully invested their initial designation grants and previous competitive grant awards. Grants are capped at $250,000 per municipality.

“DOER’s Green Communities program works with cities and towns from North Adams to Provincetown in an effort to fund programs that put Massachusetts on the forefront of clean energy innovation,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “The Baker-Polito Administration is committed to giving our municipal partners the tools they need to find clean energy solutions that reduce long-term energy costs and strengthen local economies.”

“The efforts of the 72 communities receiving over $14 million today are important as we work to meet the greenhouse gas emission reduction goals set forth under the Global Warming Solutions Act,” said Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Judith Judson. “These grants represent another milestone for both the communities and the Commonwealth as we continue to work collaboratively to build a clean, resilient, and affordable energy future.”

The grants announced today fund a range projects from ventilation system upgrades and high efficiency lighting to installation of insulation and energy management systems at municipal buildings and facilities. Also included are projects to install LED streetlights, oil-to-gas heating system conversions, electric vehicles, and electric vehicles charging stations.

Municipality Grants

Acton$245,497Harvard$249,972Pepperell$250,000
Acushnet$135,665Hatfield$66,216Rockland$250,000
Amesbury$250,000Holland$150,085Salem$237,399
Andover$156,440Holliston$247,228Saugus$242,903
Arlington$179,698Hopkinton$224,812Scituate$246,733
Ashburnham$217,300Kingston$250,000Sherborn$39,120
Ashby$100,981Lakeville$247,500Somerville$250,000
Auburn$213,804Lenox$245,189Sudbury$250,000
Barre$116,199Leverett$68,437Sunderland$129,805
Belchertown$195,358Lexington$168,132Sutton$204,888
Belmont$250,000Littleton$250,000Swampscott$241,287
Beverly$250,000Manchester$155,981Tewksbury$209,790
Bridgewater$175,895Mashpee$98,932Truro$109,736
Brookline$233,247Maynard$250,000Tyngsborough$250,000
Buckland$74,439Medford$235,935Wayland$250,000
Cambridge$250,000Melrose$217,484Wellfleet$120,423
Chelmsford$199,330Mendon$89,579Westford$250,000
Cohasset$177,400Milton$246,645West Newbury$133,154
Easton$127,456Monson$249,886Westwood$183,136
Essex$176,145Montague$168,610Weymouth$250,000
Gloucester$207,443Natick$159,162Whately$164,310
Greenfield$224,610Newton$196,157Whitman$197,408
Hanover$226,772Northampton$247,507Winchester$236,050
Hardwick$116,592Palmer$113,395Woburn$250,000

 

For additional information on awarded projects and funding amounts, please click here.

“Massachusetts leads the nation in protecting our environment and working towards a clean and sustainable future by reducing our energy consumption and cutting greenhouse gas emissions,” said Senate President Stan Rosenberg (D-Amherst). “Green Communities Competitive Grants help us achieve our energy goals and continue to lead the nation in energy efficiency and renewable energy.”

“Leadership and action at the municipal level are essential to our state’s success in conserving resources and capturing renewable energy,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). “The awarded cities and towns are making an important commitment to our future by becoming Green Communities, and receiving significant grant funding to propel initiatives that work for people in each town and will make a difference for our Commonwealth.”

“In order to meet the legal requirements of the Global Warming Solutions Act, we must make energy efficiency a pillar of our emissions reductions plans on both local and state levels,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Marc R. Pacheco (D-Taunton), founding chair of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change. “Our Green Communities have embraced a clean energy future by leading the way in best sustainability practices. I look forward to seeing the good that these grants will do for our economy and environment.”

“As the United States falters on the global stage in climate leadership, local communities continue to demonstrate their resolve to cut greenhouse gas emissions,” said House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano (D-Quincy). “The Green Communities Act is just one example of how Massachusetts is contributing to climate solutions, and I commend the Town of Weymouth for its strong commitment to this global cause.”

“I would like to thank the Baker-Polito administration for dedicating key funding to empower cities and towns to reduce their energy use and embrace a clean energy future,” said State Representative Thomas A. Golden, Jr. (D-Lowell), Chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy.  “The town of Chelmsford deserves recognition for its efforts and for receiving its fifth Green Communities grant, totaling over $930,000 in investments to the community since the start of the program.”

“Its selection as a recipient of a Green Communities grant is a great accomplishment for the Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, and the continued support for its efforts to lower energy consumption and reduce emissions, would not be possible without the generosity of the Baker-Polito Administration,” said State Representative Bradford R. Hill (R-Ipswich).

All Green Communities commit to reducing municipal energy consumption by 20 percent over five years. These commitments amount to collective savings of 2,534,787 MMBtu, energy use equivalent to heating and powering nearly 20,000 homes, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 233,640 tons, equivalent to taking over 45,000 cars off the road.

Click here for more information on DOER’s Green Communities program. The grants are funded through proceeds from Alternative Compliance Payments under the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard.