Energy & Sustainable Development CommitteeThe 495/MetroWest Partnership's Energy and Sustainable Development Committee focuses on issues related to land use, energy, brownfields remediation, low-impact development, broadband connectivity, placemaking, and environmental stewardship.
Upcoming Meetings & Events
Energy and Sustainable Development Committee Meeting August 19th: The Energy and Sustainable Development Committee of the 495/MetroWest Partnership will meet on Tuesday, August 19th at 8:30 AM in a joint meeting with the Partnership’s Planning and Economic Development Working Group (PEDWG). Partnership staff will present and seek feedback on several ongoing projects, including draft guidelines to help our communities develop Priority Preservation Areas; a listing of contemporary resources intended to refresh the Partnership’s 2008 Low Impact Development Toolkit; and a listing of climate mitigation strategies and informational resources for municipalities to access. The committee will also discuss potential topics for future ESD meetings. This will be a hybrid meeting with both in-person and remote participation options; click here to register.
Recent Meetings & Events
Energy and Sustainable Development Committee Meeting March 12th: The Energy and Sustainable Development Committee of the 495/MetroWest Partnership met on Wednesday, March 12th to discuss innovative local and regional approaches to energy affordability. The committee heard a presentation from MassEnergize on their Framingham Community Solar program; the slide deck from the presentation can be accessed at this link.
Climate Legislation, Environmental Justice Presentations: The Energy and Sustainable Development Committee met on Thursday, December 5th 2024. The meeting's agenda included a presentation from Representative Jeffrey Roy on climate and energy legislation signed into law in November 2024; Representative Roy serves as the House Chair of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. The Committee also hosted representatives from MassDEP’s Environmental Justice program to provide an overview of their work.
EV Charging Capacity Discussion: The Energy and Sustainable Development Committee hosted a conversation focused on expanding electric vehicle (EV) charging capacity in our region on April 4th, 2024. The event began with an overview of the current availability of EV charging in our region, and included a presentation about the Massachusetts EVIP program, which helps property owners and managers with publicly accessible parking acquire EV charging stations.
2022 Climate Legislation Presentation: On Tuesday, October 18th, 2022, the Energy and Sustainable Development Committee of the 495/MetroWest Partnership will host a special presentation from State Representative Jeffrey N. Roy of Franklin, who serves as House Chairperson of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. The presentation focused on An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, major climate legislation passed and signed into law in August 2022. The bill contained significant provisions related to clean energy investment, offshore wind, electric vehicles, and more.
PACE Program Presentation: On February 15th, 2022, the Energy and Sustainable Development Committee of the 495/MetroWest Partnership hosted representatives from MassDevelopment to present on the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. PACE is a new mechanism to finance energy improvements, such as energy-efficiency projects, renewables, and gas line extensions, on commercial and industrial properties in Massachusetts. Click here to access the slide presentation from the event. To finance improvements, a property owner agrees to a betterment assessment on their property, which repays the financing. This approach enables owners to undertake more comprehensive energy upgrades with longer payback periods of up to 20 years. At property sale, the lien stays with the property and is transferred to subsequent property owners. Properties eligible for financing through PACE include commercial buildings, industrial buildings, and multi-family buildings with five or more units. Individual municipalities may opt into PACE one time by a majority vote of the city or town council or the board of selectmen, as appropriate. For more information on the PACE program, click here.
Climate Legislation Presentation with Secretary Theoharides: On May 18th, 2021, the Water Resources and Energy and Sustainable Development Committees of the 495/MetroWest Partnership hosted a special presentation from Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen A. Theoharides on An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy, major climate legislation signed into law earlier this year. Click here to view a recording of the session with Secretary Theoharides. The legislation, signed into law by Governor Baker in March, codifies a commitment to achieve Net Zero emissions in 2050, establishes new interim goals for emissions reductions, authorizes the Administration to implement a new, voluntary energy efficient building code for municipalities, and allows the Commonwealth to procure an additional 2,400 Megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2027, among other provisions. Municipal Government Response to COVID-19 in 495/MetroWest: On February 9th, 2021, the Energy and Sustainable Development Committee of the 495/MetroWest Partnership hosted a special forum as part of its series on the impact of COVID-19 on our region, "Municipal Government Response to COVID-19 in 495/MetroWest." This panel discussion focused on how municipal governments across our region have responded to the pandemic. You can view a recording of the discussion online at this link. Our panel included:
Business Response to COVID-19 in 495/MetroWest: On December 9th, 2020, the Energy and Sustainable Development Committee of the 495/MetroWest Partnership hosted a special forum as part of its series on the impact of COVID-19 on economic development, "Business Response to COVID-19 in 495/MetroWest." This discussion focused on how different economic sectors in our region have responded to the pandemic. You can view a recording of the discussion online at this link. Our panel included:
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