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Aquinnah Climate and Energy Committee Meeting

Posted on: February 3, 2022 - 12:37pm

Aquinnah Climate and Energy Committee

Meeting Agenda

February 8, 2022, 10 am

(Zoom invitation below)

  

  1. Landfill Solar Array.  The solar array at the capped landfill is approaching its tenth anniversary.  This presents opportunities for the Town under the governing agreements.  Vineyard Power representatives joined our January meeting to discuss the opportunities this presents to the Town under the governing agreements.   We will discuss the subject with the Town’s Finance Committee.

 

  1. Projects for Vineyard Power Development Fund (VPDF).  Vineyard Power has established a section 501(c)(3) charity to handle funds to be received from Vineyard Wind under the Community Benefits Agreement between them.  The initial funds will go into a Resiliency and Affordability Program (RAP).  An advisory committee to VPDF includes representatives of each island town, the Wampanoag Tribe, and possibly other entities.  Jim Pickman is Aquinnah’s representative.  He will join the meeting to discuss the RAP and possible projects that Aquinnah might submit for inclusion in the program.

 

  1. Solar and Battery Projects at Town Buildings.  Bill Lake will give a report on the status of the solar and battery projects at the Town buildings that were contracted for as part of CVEC’s Round 5 procurement.

 

  1. Proposed Bylaw Revisions.  The Select Board and Planning Board Plan Review Committee have approved placing our proposed revisions to the Town bylaws to promote energy transformation in the warrant for the May 10 Town Meeting.  With assistance from town counsel, we have submitted three warrant articles:

 

  1.  All-electric new construction.  A revision to the general bylaws to require that all new or substantially remodeled construction use electricity rather than fossil fuels for heating, cooling, and hot water.  

 

  1.   Wiring for EV charger.  A revision to the general bylaws to require that all new or substantially remodeled construction include a 240-volt outlet, appropriately located, to accommodate an EV charger.

 

  1.   Authorization to file home rule petition.  Authorization for the Select Board to file a home rule petition with the state legislature seeking authority to implement the two bylaw revisions.

 

  1. Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) Grant.  The Department of Energy is funding a program to provide technical assistance to remote, island, and islanded communities to transform their energy systems and increase energy resilience.  The program is implemented in our region by DOE’s partner, the Island Institute.  The Chilmark energy committee is considering applying.  If we join them, a combined application might have a better chance of success.  The program will be described in a webinar on February 16. 

 

 

  1. Energy Questionnaire.   Attached is the analysis from Google Forms of the 47 responses to our energy questionnaire.  We may discuss what implications the results may have for our work.  West Tisbury has shared the analysis of its results, which are quite similar.

 

  1. Green Communities.   The Town has submitted its annual report on the use of its designation grant under the Green Communities program.  We will not have finished spending the designation grant before the deadline to apply for this round of action grants (February 11) but will be eligible to apply for an action grant in the following round.

 

  1. MVC Climate Action Plan.  Work is well under way on the MVC’s Climate Action Plan.  Kathy Newman is Aquinnah’s representative on the steering committee, and Bill Lake serves on the Energy Transformation working group.  

 

  1. CERT.  The CERT met on February 3 to discuss lessons learned from the recent storm.  Time permitting, we may get a report on that discussion, as well as on the fire safety training session held on Saturday, November 13, at 10 am, at the Moshup Beach parking lot.

 

  1. Other business.

 

 

 

Bill Lake is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

 

Topic: Meeting of the Aquinnah Climate & Energy Committee

Time: Feb 8, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4614161782

 

Meeting ID: 461 416 1782

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Meeting ID: 461 416 1782

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