ASHFIELD, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The Healey-Driscoll Administration has certified nine new Climate Leader Communities who are receiving a total of $3.7 million in grant funding to reduce municipal emissions, bringing the number of Climate Leader Communities in Massachusetts to 28.

Ashfield was one of the newly funded municipalities and is receiving $870,872 for a solar system at the wastewater treatment plant and highway garage.

From the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources:

Healey-Driscoll Administration Certifies Nine New Climate Leader Communities, Will Award $3.7 Million in Grants

CLC Program Helps Cities and Towns Cut Energy Costs and Pollution, Add Locally Generated Electricity, and Upgrade Municipal Buildings

BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced the Department of Energy Resources (DOER)’s certification of the second group of Climate Leader Communities (CLCs). Aquinnah, Bedford, Harvard, Lincoln, Needham, Stockbridge, West Tisbury, Weston, and Winchester applied for and met the requirements to become CLCs. The nine towns join the first cohort of CLCs announced in May, and are now eligible to apply for grants of up to $1,150,000 each for projects that reduce municipal emissions and for technical support ahead of those projects. There are now 28 CLCs in Massachusetts.

“We are excited to add nine new Climate Leader Communities. Cities and towns are continuing to lead in clean energy,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Programs like this are how we help our communities add locally-produced energy, cut energy demand and costs, and create healthier neighborhoods.”

“I’m thrilled to welcome these nine forward-looking cities and towns to our growing Climate Leader Communities family,” said DOER Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony. “With each local clean energy project our Climate Leaders take on, they reduce ongoing energy costs for their communities, help tackle our two biggest sources of pollution, and create healthier, more resilient municipal buildings.”

DOER will also award $3.7 million in Decarbonization Accelerator Grants to Acton, Ashfield, Chelmsford and Watertown. The grants are available to help certified CLCs significantly reduce emissions from municipal operations. Together, the funded projects will generate an estimated 5.6 million kWh of clean energy a year and save the communities more than $218,000 a year in energy costs.

• Acton will receive $1 million to support the full decarbonization of its historic town hall, including a heat pump project and advanced heating and ventilation controls.
• Ashfield will receive $870,872 for a solar system at its wastewater treatment plant and highway garage, which is estimated to save nearly $100,000 on energy costs.
• Chelmsford will receive $1 million to support initiatives in two new fire stations, including a geothermal system at one facility, and fully electric heating and cooling and rooftop solar at both stations. When finished, the state-of-the-art fire stations will save the town over $57,000 a year on energy costs.
• Watertown will receive $918,297 for rooftop and parking lot canopy solar installations at its Department of Public Works headquarters. The system will provide most of the electricity needed for the facility, saving the city over $70,000 in annual energy costs.

The Climate Leader Communities program builds on the highly successful Green Communities Designation and Grant program. The vast majority of Massachusetts municipalities are designated Green Communities, and have partnered with DOER on hundreds of projects to deliver $29.7 million in cost savings each year. DOER created the CLC program in response to high demand from designated Green Communities for a higher tier of the program. The CLC program encourages municipalities to lower municipal emissions, maximize the efficiency of buildings and transportation, and slash energy costs.

Certified CLCs have access to grant funding to support energy efficiency measures and heating and cooling projects, energy management services, and local energy generation on municipally owned property. To become a CLC, municipalities must meet certification requirements that include a local committee to advise and help coordinate local energy activities in the municipality; a commitment to transition away from on-site fossil fuel use in municipal buildings and fleets by 2050; a zero-emission-vehicle first policy; and adoption of the Specialized Energy Code.

More information on DOER’s Climate Leader Communities program can be found on its website. Climate Leader Grant programs are funded through proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and Alternative Compliance Payments.