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Clean Energy Advisory 09-18-2024 CITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD OR COMMISSION: Clean Energy Advisory Committee SUBCOMMITTEE: DATE: September 18,2024 LOCATION: Hybrid In-Person Sohier Room, 32 Essex Street, Beverly, MA 01915 and Virtual via Google Meet MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Jordan Stutt, Tom Keeley, Fred Hopps, Sarah Cullinan,Nancy Schalch MEMBERS ABSENT: Amy Smith OTHERS PRESENT: Bruce Egan, CEAC City Council Liaison Councilor Scott Houseman, City Councilor Hannah Bowen, Wayne Miller, Dean Berg RECORDER: Rebecca Gobeil y o c —, Url c_7 1. Roll Call and Welcome L_ T —' -, Li Chair Stutt calls the meeting to order at 6:37 p.m. CD i�6 2. Review and Approve Minutes (Reserved for October 2024 Meeting) rrIC3 j 3. Specialized EnerQy Code • Hopps introduced the topic stating that the CEAC. has been discussing the Specialized Energy Code for a while and that it is something the CEAC should propose to the City Council soon. • Hopps has drafted a resolution that he welcomes assistance in wordsmithing, it lays out the basics of the Specialized Energy Code and states benefits that come along with adopting the Specialized Energy Code. • Hopps expressed that the work on 100%renewable from a few years back essentially embeds the Specialized Energy Code. • Chair Stutt will share the draft resolution with CEAC members. • The Specialized Energy Code is not forcing buildings to be 100% electric, but if they are built nonelectric they will need to be pre-wired for electric - all the requirements should be easy lifts for building developers. It has been shown that building to the Specialized Energy Code is as expensive as building normally. • Chair Stutt also clarified that there are exceptions built into the Specialized Energy Code for infeasibilities. • Schalch added that she attended a webinar and the adoption of Specialized Energy Code seems very logical and appropriate, and her impression is that the buildings would be built higher quality and more energy efficient - which in turn would allow there to have an easier time finding residents. • Hopps stated that environmental justice issues concerning home affordability are important and need to be considered in this context,but won't be solved by the code. • Hopps further stated that passing the Specialized Energy Code will make funding available to the City, including funds from the Climate Action Fund. With this in mind, the CEAC should think about what capital expense they would like to see for the City in terms of Clean Energy and what growth they want to see in expanding green energy in the City. • Thirty-six other municipalities have adopted the Specialized Energy Code. Beverly is a leader in the state for clean energy and should be taking this step; it is an easy step forward in being an energy leader. • Councilor Houseman said he met with the Mayor and Director Keefe last week about the Specialized Energy Code. The Mayor mentioned that figures will be released by DOER in the next month or two, which will elucidate the impact on cities and towns that have adopted the Specialized Energy Code. The Mayor wants to wait to see the effect, particularly on affordable housing and the budget. Councilor Houseman asked the Mayor what his next initiative would be and suggested he take on clean energy in the next year; the group discussed creating a network of local businesses that are taking affirmative steps toward clean energy to be able to discuss best practices,problems encountered, and how the issues have been solved or not. • Councilor Bowen stated she is interested to hear an update from the Mayor and thinks that the resolution, in roughly the format it is in with some additional clarifications on exceptions and nuance is ready for introduction from her perspective. • Chair Stutt agrees that it is a good time for CEAC to weigh in on this, with the understanding that the Mayor and City Council may wait for additional data. • Schalch stated that it seems time to let the City Council know the document is being worked on and that there is something coming down the line to talk about, Councilor Bowen agreed. • Councilor Houseman stated the proposed draft is a good start, but providing some emphasis on financial benefits would be helpful and persuasive. Councilor Houseman stated that the decision to introduce it or not is up to the CEAC, but knows that the Mayor would like to work with CEAC on this. • Keeley stated that from the library experience it would be good to get in front of things and talk to the community and City Council to move things along. • Hopps stated he would like to work with Councilors Houseman and Bowen on the document. • Miller stated that the Specialized Energy Code is consistent with climate action plan and that should be noted and added to the document. • Chair Stutt stated that the next step is to take a vote on next steps for the Specialized Energy Code. Chair Stutt moves to have CEAC take the rough draft resolution Hopps put together, refine it, and work together to present a final draft for vote/approval to the City Council. Hopps seconded. Motion carried(5-0). Mayor Cahill arrived at 7:01 p.m. • Cullinan asked if when the resolution is presented to the City Council can they provide other summary/background materials. Chair Stutt said yes and it would be a good idea to provide these materials. • Mayor Cahill stated that he has spent a lot of time with Director Keefe, Project Manager Lopez- Hernandez, and representatives of the Department of Energy Resources ("DOER") about the Specialized Energy Code and he feels good about it. The DOER is in the process of collecting data from early adopters and they hope it is going to show average incremental cost increase is very modest, in the 1-2% range. The report is expected to be published around the end of the calendar year - and Mayor Cahill believes there will be a draft some time in the month of October that he will be able to review and share the data with CEAC. • Mayor Cahill would like to have a chance to see and share this information so they can present a strong argument for passing the Specialized Energy Code and achieve a strong collective victory. Mayor Cahill stated he knows Councilors Houseman and Bowen are interested in moving forward and asked if they have interest in waiting to see the data. • Councilor Bowen stated that if CEAC is going to have a clean recommendation next month with anecdotal evidence from communities gathered thus far she believes it is ready to share with the City Council. If the report reinforces the anecdotal evidence, all the better. Councilor Bowen stated that it seems that CEAC and the report are along the same timeline. • Mayor Cahill stated that if the report shows unexpected data it is another conversation, but if it shows the data they expect he is happy to move forward. • Chair Stutt stated that CEAC is comfortable moving forward at this point with the robust data they already have, but understands that the City Council and the Mayor might want to have the DOER data, too. • Miller stated that some City Councilors value the opinion and insight provided by City Departments impacted by resolutions and that to that point Erin Schaeffer is familiar with the benefits of the Specialized Energy Code. • Hopps asked if he should share the working draft with Mayor Cahill, Mayor Cahill stated that CEAC should share the document with Director Keefe and Project Manager Lopez-Hernandez. • Mayor Cahill stated knowing that the data will be available fairly soon he would like to move with data. He would like himself and CEAC to move it forward together and that with the data they may be able to get every City Councilor to sign on before it is presented. Ci Update • Mayor Cahill wanted to share with CEAC that the City got the EPA Clean School Bus Grant, awarding the city close to $1.5 million for 8 school buses. The grant allows the City enough money to bridge the gap between electric and diesel buses and leaves the City with the cost for charging infrastructure electrical service upgrade. Further, the State took some cleann energy transportation money and sent it to MA Clean Energy Center - anyone who receives the EPA Clean School Bus Grant can apply for additional complementary funds. Mayor Cahill went to meet with the MA Clean Energy Center in person came out of meeting recognizing the ask on their plate was well in excess of available funds, he thought they would get some of what they asked for, but not all. The MA Clean Energy Center awarded all of what the City asked for, an additional $1.5 million, and it will cover most of the cost of the buses and charging infrastructure. • The next step is to purchase the buses by November 30, 2024, which will take place in the next couple weeks. The purchase will relieve the School Department utilizing their funds for new school buses. • Chair Stutt stated this is a big win for the City. • Mayor Cahill stated that National Grid has taken the position that they should not have to invest twice in a Site, and because they have invested into the infrastructure for the charging station at the middle school they should not have to do it again. Mayor Cahill expressed that the City intends to hold National Grid's feet to the fire on this issue. Cullinan asked if the cost of interconnection is known or if grid upgrades will be needed; Mayor Cahill stated that he or Director Keefe will follow up on this. • Hopps asked about the maintenance plan for the buses. Mayor Cahill stated the maintenance is not included in the purchase price, but he has had long meetings discussing these topics with several potential partners. He stated that there are different pieces to figure out - ordering and paying for the buses, the charging stations, servicing the buses, and servicing the charging stations. Mayor Cahill stated all contracts are in play with how we order the buses - the City could go through a partner who orders buses for the City and adds in annual service payment, which would come out of school line item, or if buses are bought out front the service contract is smaller. • Miller stated that the maintenance of electric vehicles are far less than diesel buses. Mayor Cahill leaves the meeting at 7:24 pm Councilor Bowen leaves 7.25 p.m. Chair Stutt asked if Berg had any updated to share from Green Beverly. • Berg stated there are a couple of upcoming events including Beverly Main Streets end of summer block party on Saturday night where Green Beverly will show a full portfolio of their work including waste reduction, food, electric vehicles, and more. Additionally, the Pumpkin Smash is scheduled for November 1 Oth at New Entry Farm, • There is a renewable energy and solar program highlighting Eco Loop and Solaris, Green Beverly's preferred solar providers. 4. The Bigger Picture • Bruce Egan presented on the Bigger Picture issues concerning National and International Events of Potential Interest to the Beverly CEAC. Below is a selection of interesting points Egan presented: a FEMA is proposing a new flood risk standard,which is positioning them with insurers. a This was a hot and humid summer, National Grid summer rates jumped from 10.9 cents per kilowatt in 2019 to 14.1 cents per kilowatt this summer. The atmosphere does not cool as rapidly with the high humidity, which causes air conditioning units to work longer and harder. o The high heat summers are threatening education in the most vulnerable communities with a number of children missing school due to the high temperatures. o Conservation Law Foundation is moving forward with a lawsuit against National Grid for the August 2024 gas leak. o There was a proposed experiment in Woods Hole to capture carbon dioxide in the ocean by changing the pH. There was a kickback because of potential harm, the project will be delayed for one year. Egan thinks this would be a good relatively small scale experiment. o The vineyard lost a wind turbine and they are working to repair the turbine, which is complicated to repair. o The State is expanding the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, the second offshore wind energy terminal for Massachusetts. o Salem is planning for their offshore wind project, the equipment of which passed by Dane Street Beach this summer. Chair Stutt mentioned that CEAC should consider getting folks involved to come talk to CEAC about the project. S. City Updates • The City saved S800k cumulatively for aggregation, Chair Stutt will ask Director Keefe to provide more detailed updates at the next meeting. There were questions about how many people signed up for the 100% option, 235 people did. Schalch stated that in the future it may be beneficial to offer education on the small amount of money it takes to become part of the 100% green community. Cullinan stated that it could be a good idea to create a system that instantly or easily allows people to opt in as they are receiving the message from CEAC. 6. Additional Business • CEAC will need to pick an alternate date for the October CEAC meeting because Chair Stutt will be out of the country the 3rd week of the month. • Hopps will provide information on CEAC shirts and ordering them for CEAC members. • Chair Stutt will work on wordsmithing the Specialized Energy Code document along with Hopps. They will send the draft out to CEAC in advance of the next meeting to allow time for review and input. Chair Houseman and Chair Bowen will also be involved in working on the draft. Meeting adjourns at 7:59 p.m. Next Meeting: TBD