Clean Energy Planning

Merrimack Valley Clean Energy Action Plan was developed to address the economic development vision charted during the update of the Merrimack Valley Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) in 2008. This plan encouraged municipalities to pursue renewable energy, develop plans to reduce their carbon footprint and create bylaws to guide the creation of alternative energy facilities.

Since then clean energy planning has been an integral component of work for MVPC. Now, 13 of MVPC’s communities hold a Green Community Designation, meaning they have committed to reducing their municipal energy usage by 20%. Beyond that, many communities have worked with MVPC and partners to develop net zero planning documents, revise bylaws for energy efficiency, build capacity for electric vehicles, and meet regionally to discuss clean energy planning. See below to learn more about MVPC’s clean energy services.

The CEDS action plan encouraged:

The Municipalities in the Region to develop plans to reduce the region’s carbon footprint
The creation of bylaws/ordinances to guide the development of alternative energy facilities, and
The Municipalities to pursue renewable energy projects.

It identifies the energy challenges the communities in the region face. It provides resources and suggestions on how to make the valley truly “Green”. It develops an energy strategy for each community in the region. And it creates an action plan on how the communities can work together to advance their individual strategies.

As the communities move forward to implement this strategy the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission will provide the forum for collaboration, administrative support for implementation, and the focus to ensure success.

This effort was recognized with an Innovation Award by the National Association of Development Organizations.

Green Communities

The Green Communities Act of 2008 aims to increase energy efficiency across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Primarily, it aims to reduce energy demands in municipalities through the implementation of energy efficiency policies including renewable energy siting, research and development, and manufacturing, and energy efficiency improvements to existing municipally owned infrastructure such as town buildings, vehicles, and facilities. To become a Green Community a municipality must pledge to cut municipal energy use by an ambitious and achievable goal of 20 percent over 5 years and meet four other criteria established in the Green Communities Act.

MVPC’s Green Community Program

MVPC works to assist communities in the pursuit and maintenance of Green Community Designation through their Regional Energy Planning Assistance Grant. This work includes:

Green Community Designation Support

Bylaw review and development (Criterion 1)
Baseline energy data collection and setup in Mass Energy Insight (Criterion 2)
Development of a 5-year Energy Reduction Plan (Criterion 3)
Drafting a Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Policy and assistance with Vehicle Inventory (Criterion 4)

Support for Existing Green Communities

Assist with competitive grant application preparation
Assist with Annual Report preparation
Assist with development of Net Zero planning documents

Regional Energy Planning Work

Beyond individual Green Community assistance, MVPC also works to coordinate regional-scale energy planning efforts to move the Valley to a sustainable future. This work includes collaborating with other Regional Planning Agencies to develop a region-wide Priority Climate Action Plan, analyzing opportune locations for Electric Vehicle charging stations in the region, and writing an Electric Vehicle model bylaw for municipalities in the region to adopt.