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Meeting was started at 7:40 by the Chair, Pam Harty.
Members present were Jeff Born, Pam Harty, Otto Harling, and Vic Popp
Minutes of the 9/8/08 meeting were approved by voice vote.
Performance contracting was identified as important for school wide efficiency improvements, not just for school departments. Request that John Tzimorangas ask Source One to come in to further our committees understanding of financials.
Review of preliminary emissions data from ICLEI (and a helpful digest from Jeff Born) revealed that the biggest component of emissions on the community side is transportation. The source of data is a state agency, whose results incorporate vehicles that originate elsewhere and merely pass through our ‘bubble.’ Attempting to mitigate that will be futile, but there may be other ways to quantify our transportation impact so that suggested measures for emissions reductions will be quantifiable.
Otto points out that the biggest factor over which this community has control is its electric utility. By adjusting our sources of energy, we can directly reduce our emissions. In contrast, any measures we take with regard to transportation and efficiency improvements will be largely based up on outreach and education with incentives and disincentives, perhaps with only marginal success at emissions reductions.
We discussed Jeff Born’s own personal conversion from oil to natural gas. While still a fossil fuel, its carbon emitted per unit of energy is substantially less than oil’s. We discussed investigating how many homes are served by Keyspan and what percentage of the homes are not but could potentially be served. It may be wise to approach Keyspan from the town government to explore how to expand its service to Hingham on a community wide basis. Need to explore what emissions improvements this might result in.
Jeff Born offered to invite an architect to our next meeting to advise on how Hingham’s building codes could be made more strict than the state’s (as recently allowed in legislation). Need to explore what emissions improvements this might result in.
Vic and Otto will touch base with John Tzimorangas regarding HMLP ownership of co-gen unit at the High School.
Reduction targets have been set by Massachusetts. Does Hingham want its energy Policy to mirror those? Improve upon? While goals are currently set in (section 21N of recent legislation???) , path to achieving those is unclear on the state level. Our own policy plan should have clear methods to achieving those. Jeff cited the state of CA where any community not meeting state emissions reductions targets risks loss of state transportation funding. MA has a current goal of a 15% reduction by 2020…
With regard to funding incentive programs, revenue streams were discussed: a stand-alone HMLP surcharge? HMLP participation in state-run RET program?
Tentative agenda for next meeting: review performance contracting; review/refine reduction targets, review of ICLEI report (due later month of Oct)
Next meeting date was set for 7pm, Monday November 3.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:40.
Respectfully submitted by Pam Harty