Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Designates Three New Green Communities, Announces $60 Million Climate Leader Grant Funding

Devens — Today, at the inaugural Green Communities Summit, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) designated the towns of Boxborough, Sandwich, and South Hadley as Green Communities. The Administration also announced $60 million in new grant funding for Climate Leader Communities. Funding will be available to certified Climate Leader Communities for projects that significantly reduce municipal greenhouse gas emissions and for technical support ahead of those projects.

“We applaud the important work being done by our cities and towns to reduce energy use and dangerous fossil fuel emissions,” said Governor Maura Healey. “The vital funding for municipalities offered through the Green Communities Program makes our communities more resilient against climate change and delivers cleaner air and lower costs for residents and businesses.”

“I know personally how the state and local collaboration through Green Communities provides municipal partners with the resources they need to carry out local clean energy projects and achieve long-term savings,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. Our administration will continue to support all of the Massachusetts’ communities as they work to decarbonize their buildings and fleets and move our clean energy transition forward.”

The three newest towns to join the Green Communities program – Boxborough, Sandwich, and South Hadley – have committed to reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions through clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives and are now eligible for designation grant funding totaling more than $479,800. The City of Peabody and the towns of Gosnold, Leyden, and Newbury were also celebrated at the Summit for being designated as new Green Communities earlier this year.

“We are proud to welcome the three newest Green Communities, and value our partnerships with cities and towns as they tackle their clean energy goals and lower their dependence on expensive fossil fuels,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Looking ahead, our Climate Leader Communities are set to drive Massachusetts’ clean energy transition, and we’re thrilled to support them with this new grant funding.”

“Congratulations to Boxborough, Sandwich, and South Hadley on their commitments to deploy clean heat and transportation alternatives that will lower their energy use and costs and help expand their municipal budgets,” said DOER Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony. “As the number of Green Communities continues to grow, we are thrilled to offer $60 million of new funding to help our future Climate Leader Communities take their clean energy and decarbonization goals to the next level.”

Newly Designated Green Communities
With today’s announcement, 298 of Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns hold a Green Communities designation. Since the program began in 2009, DOER has awarded communities more than $185 million in grant funding through designation and competitive grants. Green Communities commit to reduce municipal energy consumption by 20 percent within 5 years. The three new communities committed to energy savings that represent a greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 2,465 tons, the equivalent of taking 519 gasoline-powered cars off the road.

DOER will award the following funding for projects in the newly designated Green Communities. Proposed projects include weatherization improvements in schools and municipal buildings, electric vehicles for town and school fleets, and renewable thermal technologies like air-source heat pumps.

New Climate Leader Grant Funding
The $60 million in new grant funding for Climate Leader Communities is available under two new Climate Leader grant programs: the Decarbonization Accelerator Grant Program and the Technical Support Grant Program.

The $52.5 million Decarbonization Accelerator Grant Program will support clean energy initiatives that reduce or eliminate fossil fuel combustion, energy use, and costs, including technologies such as renewable thermal, solar PV, clean energy resources that support energy resilience, and energy storage. Projects must align with the community's Climate Leader Municipal Decarbonization to be eligible. Additional funding will be available for projects that are sited in Environmental Justice Communities or Low- Income and Disadvantaged Communities.

The $7.5 million Technical Support Grant Program will help Climate Leader Communities with funding for technical support for comprehensive proposals for projects identified in Climate Leader Communities’ Municipal Decarbonization Roadmaps.

More information on DOER’s Green Communities Division can be found here. Funding for Green Communities grants is available through proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). More information on DOER’s Climate Leader Communities Program can be found here. The new Climate Leader Grant Programs will be funded through Alternative Compliance Payments.

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