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Green Communities Act

Wellfleet has joined 123 cities and towns from all regions of the state, ranging in population from 393 to 617,594 residents, that are now designated as Commonwealth “Green Communities.”   As energy leaders in Massachusetts, Green Communities are eligible for state grants. More than $28 million from those Green Community grants is already at work in 110 communities, with more than $2 million in additional grants for energy projects in the newest 13 designated communities now pending.

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Wellfleet met all the qualification criteria

  1. Adopted as-of-right siting, in designated locations, for RE/AE generation, or RE/AE R&D, or RE/AE manufacturing
  2. Adopted expedited (12 month) application/permitting process
  3. Established an energy use baseline with a plan to reduce baseline by 20% in 5 years
  4. Adopted a Policy to purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles
  5. Required all new residential construction >3000 ft2, and new commercial and industrial real estate construction to minimize life-cycle energy costs (Adopt Stretch Code)

Criteria 3 was adopted last summer and we formally applied to the DOER for Green Community designation. This is based on successful completion and adoption of:

Criteria 1 – As of right siting of a large scale renewable energy facility. Adopted ATM 2013 as Zoning Bylaw

Criteria 2 – Expedited permitting of Criteria 1. Adopted ATM 2013 as Zoning Bylaw

Criteria 3 – Wellfleet Energy Reduction Plan. Anticipated adoption at BoS meeting of 9/30/14

Criteria 4 – Fuel Efficient Vehicle Policy. Adopted at BoS meeting of 8/5/2014

Criteria 5 – Adoption of the Stretch Energy Code. Adopted at ATM 2014 as Article XVI of the General Bylaws.

Permanent link to this article: http://wellfleetenergyandclimateaction.org/mitigation-activities/green-communities-act/

Stretch Code FAQs

  Frequently Asked Questions As part of the Green Communities Act of 2008, Massachusetts has developed an optional second tier building code that gives cities and towns the ability to choose stronger energy performance in buildings. Known as the “Stretch Code”, it increases the energy efficiency code requirements beyond the existing International Energy Conservation Code …

As-of-Right Siting

Wellfleet has chosen to meet this criterion for becoming a Green Community by implementing As of Right Siting on a parcel of land that encompasses the old landfill area  at the transfer station for a  Solar Photovoltaic (PV) installation – A single ground-mounted system of a minimum of 250 kW or above. A zoning article implementing this …

Expedited Permitting

A zoning article implementing this requirement passed the Annual Town Meeting in April 2013.

Fleet Efficiency

The Energy Committee drafted a policy for the town to purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles as required for the Green Communities act.  The policy excludes heavy equipment, police and fire department vehicles, and applies to exactly two town-owned vehicles. The policy was given a first reading by the Board of Selectmen on July 24, 2014 and …

Energy Efficiency Plan

The town is planning to submit an energy efficiency plan.  The plan was discussed with the Board of Selectmen on 9/16/2014 and will be up for approval on 9/30/2014. Wellfleet- Energy Reduction Plan – Final Establishing an energy baseline for municipal buildings, streetlights and vehicles Performing Energy Audits on municipal buildings Implementing energy efficiency measures (e.g. …