Sustainability, Energy, & Resiliency Committee

The Salem Sustainability, Energy, and Resiliency Committee held a public meeting on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 6:30 PM via remote participation. In Attendance Board Members: Chair John Hayes Phil Koch Rick Nye (arrives 7:28PM) Vice Chair Jeff Cohen Chris Cantone Meg Riccardi, City Council Doug Bowker Gail Kubik liaison Not in Attendance: No member absent. City Staff: Jenna Ide, Director, Sustainability and Resiliency Department & Capital Projects Stacy Kilb, Sustainability Engagement Coordinator, Sustainability and Resiliency Department (Recorder) Esmeralda Bisono, Manager, Sustainability and Resiliency Department Public: Alan Hanscom, SATV (recording) Screen Names: Graysen M. Ocasio Phone number *669 Janelle Rolke Stan Franzeen (SAFE) Flora Tonthat Introductions Public Comment (limited to one minute per person, must be limited to current discussion/within SERC jurisdiction) Review & Approve Meeting Minutes – June 23, 2021 A motion to approve the minutes, after the incorporation of edits to be submitted to Stacy Kilb no later than 11:00 AM Monday, August 2nd, and pending public comments, is made by Jeff Cohen, seconded by Chris Cantone, and passes 5–0. John Hayes Yes Jeff Cohen Yes 98 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ♦ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ♦ WWW.SALEM.COM Gail Kubik Yes Phil Koch Yes Chris Cantone Yes John Hayes notes the June presentation by Wayne Castonguay, director of the Ipswich River Watershed Association, and suggests the public review the minutes. Recap of Wetlands Working Group Activity (Gail Kubik, SERC representative to the Group) • The Group’s mission is to provide an overview of current policies and review options for updating them. Mass. has a Wetlands Protection Act (WPA) that gives local Conservation Commissions authority to review/permit work in specified wetlands known as resource areas • WPA is concerned w/drinking WATER supply, groundwater, fisheries, land containing shellfish, wildlife habitat preservation. Also flood control/prevention of flood damage • Salem has its own Wetlands Ordinance in addition, as do many North Shore communities, more stringent than State regs. Ordinance currently says no building / construction within 100’ buffer of wetlands; other nearby communities prohibit building in buffer, 50’ no build, 25’ no disturb. What is best for our community? Looking to update our own ordinance • Set out to make it a public process; notes public forums and online survey • Public comment will be available throughout the process, but the survey ends Aug. 1 • PPT has been uploaded and survey results will be uploaded once the survey is complete. • Everyone is urged to participate in this 10-15 minute survey • Jeff Cohen comments on the diversity of types of wetland resource areas/wetlands etc. • A more thorough presentation as to how this will impact our policies will be made at the next SERC meeting • Resource areas = national term, which is why it’s used here. Does the public know what that means? Can also be called “ecosystem services of wetlands” but in document they will be called “resource areas.” This can be noted in the Ordinance. WPA Resource areas = wetland areas themselves, coastline, vernal pools, intermittent streams, etc. John Hayes feels “ecosystem services” should be used to refer to the benefits of functioning ecosystems • Doug Bowder notes that people might not know what “ecosystem services” are. Stacy Kilb agrees • Phil Koch: Has been studying environmental science since the 1970’s, so this is old news • Jenna Ide: Salem and surrounding towns are unaware of wetland resources; a lot has been filled in (see: South River). Many facilities turn their back on them (see: Salem hospital). Not everyone is like this; if you grow up in a filled urban area, it is like this but in suburban areas w/open areas, wetlands, people are more aware of them • Gail Kubik: Wanted to make survey accessible to all levels of understanding/ engagement/ observation but it can also capture a visualization of what everyone thinks it should be, so can translate into what policy could become • Jeff Cohen observes that sometimes surveys are going through the paces, not elevating the discussion, but this one was very through and reflective of the meeting. Also for 98 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ♦ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ♦ WWW.SALEM.COM  those who don’t know, Gail has been A member of Salen’s Conservation Commission who has a jurisdictional stake over lands adjacent to wetlands • Doug Bowker: There are areas that should be called wetlands but are paved over at this point. These are very low areas that fill with water quickly. Sinkholes and structural issues result • John Hayes notes daylighting of rivers is a positive part of urban renewals. Submerged rivers are brought up in this process. It is possible to restore wetlands. Guest Speaker: Brief introduction of MMWEC (Mass. Municipal Wholesale Electric Company) Project 2015A (Peabody Peaker Plant) followed by SERC discussion Introduction by Mireille Bejjani, Community Action Works, Western Massachusetts Community Organizer, and Sudi Smoller of Breathe Clean North Shore. Sudi Smoller is unavailable. Mireille Bejjani discusses the Peabody Peaker Plant Project. Breathe Clean North Shore and SAFE are also involved. A link to the presentation can be found here: The Peabody Peaker Plant Link to the Breathe Clean petition to halt the Plant: bit.ly/BCNS-petition • Background of project, Site impacts, aerial view of site • During Delay: grandstanding/lack of public input • Updates from MMWEC o Proposed integration of hydrogen fuel mixing, but many uncertainties around this • Health: many concerns, especially around particulate matter/emissions on hot days (when the plant would most be in use) o Cumulative impact not yet evaluated, Peabody already has 2 other peaker plants and is heavily polluted o A highly affected Environmental Justice (EJ) community • Environmental Justice: 8 EJ communities in Peabody, Danvers, Salem less than 1 mile away from plant • Are there alternatives??: o Use of batteries (cheaper, do-able) o Technical analysis of alternatives and benefits is being done • Breathe Clean North Shore asks o Reject publicly financed bonds o Reopen MEPA process o Conduct a Community Health Impact Assessment o Stop proposal and direct MMWEC to replace w/project that will reduce burden on Peabody and Danvers o Use this opportunity to explore how the state can most effectively support participating Municipal light plants in becoming leaders of transition to a clean, just, renewable future • Next Steps: o Focus on DPU (Mass. Dept. of Public Utilities) decision 98 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ♦ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ♦ WWW.SALEM.COM  o Shift attention to EEA (MEPA and DEP) o Delay, delay, delay! Need more time to figure out how to meet increased electricity demand in a sustainable way • Actions you can take o Sign and share petition o Ask legislators to re-open MEPA o Ask legislators to investigate allocating federal funding to clean peaker plants Jeff Cohen notes we are not allowed to do a chat on zoom, so communications must be by email • Context: 41 communities in municipal group, Wakefield and Westfield have own gas companies • Many of these communities, including Chicopee and Holyoke, also Marblehead, have made the decision to be carbon neutral • Concerned that focus of communities is contradicted by plant. Marblehead is one of 19 communities that owns a wind farm in the Berkshires. This group has worked against bio issues • We can’t be carbon neutral and build a fossil fuel facility Doug Bowker • Concerned that battery technology is not well developed • Construction of batteries is very carbon intensive/environmentally destructive • If there is a peaker plant there already, shouldn’t we have data on how often it runs and its current impact? Many places have generators, but it is not good to run them. Peaker plants needed to prevent brownouts and blackouts – houses may go out, but other buildings will kick on generators, which may be worse than running a gas peaker plant Mireille Bejjani: • Batteries: report this morning from Clean Energy Group re feasibility of 4-hour and 7- hour batteries • Carbon intensive: technology is evolving quickly. Cites MA group (start-up) is using iron in air for batteries. Hold off and invest in a better, long-term solution. We CAN hold off as need for peaker plants is not clearly demonstrated. GM of Peabody Municipal Light Plant noted they are retiring one of 2 peaker plants, as they are running less and less because of renewable energy coming onto the market • How much is the current peaker plant running? This is not a good comparison as new plant would be cheaper/more efficient than existing plants so would be turned on sooner/more often than current plants Phil Koch • MMWEC is a “monster, out to make money.” They probably worked on this 5-10 years prior to 2015, which was a different consciousness of climate change. They should take the project off the table entirely now that we are aware of climate issues • How do we stop this monster? 98 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ♦ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ♦ WWW.SALEM.COM Jenna Ide: Do they need approval from Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB)? • No, MEPA said they did not need to do a comprehensive environmental impact report, they got air permit from DEP Sept. 2020 • It took 3 years w/add’l amendments, etc. Have not gone before EFSB….and do not need to. Jenna wonders why they are exempt • Right to ask for another MEPA report, as this is a huge proposal w/significant impact Global Warming Solutions Act, etc. recently passed, have changed the landscape • Agrees w/Phil, as Jenna has also worked for the state, and notes that municipal light plants typically do not have any type of efficiency programs or demand response programs, so even though NE and MA have grown/more economy, energy use has not gone up dramatically b/c we have the best utilities in the country • We have huge demand response programs to reduce fossil fuel use on hot/cold days, and b/c of solar and wind power now online. She is surprised, we have this offshore resource (wind) - municipalities could spend that money, come up w/solar and demand response programs that would save $$ and reduce emissions, obviating the need for a peaker plant • The cheapest way to generate electricity is to not use it. Prices are so low that they do not emphasize efficiency. ard to make energy reduction work b/c energy is cheap and they are in “old school mode.” The more energy you use, the more money you make. Holyoke project was concerned about efficiency projects • Why are they doing this when they do not have any efficiency programs in place? Rick Nye joins the meeting at 7:28PM. Jeff Cohen: • Municipalities have not had same target put on them by legislature but will change if Green Futures Act passes. Will not have to meet same timetable guidelines but will have to be carbon neutral. Municipalities will be under state law John Hayes: • John Hayes commented on the MEPA process for this project: MMWEC got away in 2015 with only an ENF (Environmental Notification Form). This means a project is announced to the state and public with only a brief description of project and its environmental impacts. The state let the ENF suffice for the environmental review. This is astounding to him. John noted an EIR (Environmental Impact Report) was not written. Health impact assessment and EJ assessments should also have been done. Why did EEA not require these? Landscape for renewable energy today is changed • Shows website re Vistra's Oakland Batteries Chris Cantone: • Abstaining from comments on presentation b/c it is what he does for a living • Mainstream and large-scale, hundreds of gigawatts of battery storage projects are in the queue throughout US 98 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ♦ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ♦ WWW.SALEM.COM  • Municipal energy and light companies in MA have had the luxury of pulling funds from state-driven energy efficiency programs but they and their members don’t contribute to them; consumers do • Energy is a revenue stream that will be lost • Solar perspective: state incentives have luxury of taking SREC’s, blocked under SMART program • Mainstream pilot solutions are available • $171M financing of the peaker plant by the state will come from funds we all, as taxpayers, paid into Jeff Cohen • His company is involved in battery backup storage, new systems are modulating systems • Technology is already in use in many places There is no public comment. John Hayes: • This is a regional problem with global implications. Committee will discuss. What is happening right away that we can do anything about? • DPU process – briefs being filed tomorrow, nothing to do about that, DPU will decide in a few weeks, ask that they not grant the request for financing. Short term action to take. Petitions will be sent in • EEA? Contact them directly as a Committee, talk to state rep and senator about adding voices to call for MEPA revisitation. Letter will go to Secretary Kathleen A. Theoharides, Secretary, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs John Hayes will draft a letter and share it with the Committee for a vote. The Lighthouse Development in The Point, North Shore Community Development Corporation (Jeff Cohen) • Two developments: (1) Corner of Lafayette & Derby (old Beverly Bank, contentious) and (2) The Lighthouse Development, two buildings will be starting construction soon o One is the vacant lot across from Wendy's on Peabody St., the other is on Leavitt St., across from the basketball court o CDC is building both as passive house construction, with no residences on first floor, both are 100% affordable housing o Developers are using funding for affordable housing to make buildings that would fit into Salem’s proposed Green Building Ordinance (GBO) o Mickey Northcutt is not ready to speak at a meeting yet, but offered for SERC members to tour the new buildings o Jeff Cohen can get more information and get back to SERC members • Chris Cantone: if a tour would help drive the GBO, we should look at this and do tours w/Councilor Riccardi and others • Jeff Cohen suggests a viewing of the green roof on the Hampton Inn as well 98 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ♦ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ♦ WWW.SALEM.COM Cambridge Green New Deal Petition (Jeff Cohen) • Brought to Their City Council, passed, but weakened • Would not make sense to promote to Salem City Council right now, but we should examine it • Meg Riccardi notes Salem is different from Cambridge, but this is still relevant • Doug Bowker: National Geographic did a fold out cover: photographed one end of a City, stayed on same street, went to other end, clearly shows as income level goes down, amount of foliage and greenery, other mitigation also drops down to nothing. Phil Koch has that issue Tackling Urban Heat in Selected LEED Cities (John Hayes) • Summary of John’s PowerPoing presentation: o LEED 4.1 for Cities and Communities o Can submit local gov’ts sustainability plan, even if not applied to be a LEED city; we are not there yet. Climate resiliency is not sustainability o Summer Urban Heat Island Effect o The Albedo Effect o Global Cool Cities Alliance – www.globalcoolcities.org , www.coolrooftoolkit.org o LA Residential Cool Roof Ordinance • Louisville Urban Heat Management Study: Loss of vegetation, impervious materials, waste heat, urban morphology o Impact of Historical Discrimination (Redlining) - strategies that do not actively address historical inequities will actively worsen those inequities o Jeff Cohen: Greening the Gateway cities: The focus in Ward 5 in Salem was to start in areas that needed tree canopy but also re income levels o Cool roof rebate program Louisville: cool asphalt shingles, flat white roof, cool metal roof (coatings or low albedo shingles) o $1 per sf rebate from Energy Star to install these o Promoting green roof: Green Heart Louisville • Miami Beach o Climate Impact Map from the Climate LAB o Urban Heat Island and Green Building Ordinances o Cool streets pilot (coating), resiliency projects. Possible Salem locations for such a program o Urban forestry o Cambridge also doing a surface coating pilot project on parking lot • Cincinnati o Urban heat map 2020 o Redlining map incorporated o Tree canopy improvements/heat map o Reduce parking requirements, biochar project o Require air conditioning 98 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ♦ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ♦ WWW.SALEM.COM Gail Kubik: Surface coatings – City of LA painting streets white to reflect heat, doesn’t need to be that extreme, but many areas in Salem have asphalt sidewalks. Salem could replace them w/concrete or paint them, make them less of a heat sink. Doug Bowker: Asphalt sidewalks are b/c it was at one point, or is a lower income part of the city and no one advocated for it. Some advocate for super expensive cobblestones. Jeff Cohen adds driving to Forest River park/Clifton Ave: left side, this is an environmental issue, had to repave sidewalk, that sidewalk was installed w/zero tree pits. People there can’t walk on that side b/c it is too hot Jenna Ide: What is hard about sidewalks: shared streets, in some parts sidewalks are not used much, they are very expensive. Concrete is expensive. Also need to think about less expensive alternatives, find other ways to cool the city, especially in areas where sidewalks are not used Resilient Together Update (Esmeralda Bisono) • Released beginning of July www.resilient-together.org , has info and dashboard about the Plan. Final Plan is out • Working with consultants to make the dashboard more user friendly, but there is content there • Want to have a public meeting w/City Council to discuss plan and how to move forward • Creating an Outreach and Engagement Plan, will take actions from this and prioritize for this FY • Dept. Will also start an internship program to help implement all actions • Chris Cantone notes Mass CEC has a great intern program, you pay them, then get reimbursed (no cost to the City). Jeff Cohen notes 3 employees of his company started as CEC paid interns. John Hayes notes Daria Scofield, Salem State SERC intern, then Mass CEC intern • Sent email to SERC members re House Bill H2167 An Act to Reduce GHG emissions by permitting all electric homes and buildings ordinance. Met yesterday, will get update from RMI team, she did draft a letter of support for SERC members to sign if desired. Would require all new buildings to be electric-only, or fossil fuel free. Municipalities would not have to go to state legislature for approval • Jeff Cohen feels it would be good for SERC to sign on as a group as it must go through City Council to be an Ordinance, as an enabling act only Jeff Cohen motions for SERC to sign on as a Committee and is seconded by Gail Kubik; the motion passes 6-0. Chair John Hayes Yes Vice Chair Jeff Cohen Yes Doug Bowker Yes Phil Koch Yes Chris Cantone Yes Gail Kubik Yes 98 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ♦ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ♦ WWW.SALEM.COM Rick Nye Yes New Business • Jenna Ide: Emma Bird, have a celebration/event for New Dept., planned for November at Forest River Park, let Jenna know if interested in helping (ideas for speaker, etc. - do this instead of potluck, promote SERC, RT, and new Dept together?) Reach out to Stacy or Esmeralda with ideas • If you have not gone to Bertram Field, please do. Walk around outside, pour water on the porous pavement • GBO: Emma working on drafting the final language, with a focus on municipal building requirements and projects, second part is easier. Site Plan Review ordinance and Zoning ordinance - net zero stretch code. Working with MAPC: we have a grant, and they are working with us directly to prepare for zero net energy ordinance so we can adopt it when ready from state • John Hayes: Green building includes use of energy, also use of water? Stretch code will have water efficiency standards but not porous pavement/bike routes. Maybe …..components we can take from Stretch building but adopt separately. Bike racks, charging stations, a few other amenities will be required first o John Hayes: Residential water use would be helped by a bill that shows use in units as GPD. Sustainable water use should be part of GBO o Jenna Ide: This may need its own regulation or ordinance, not zoning. Jeff Cohen feels it is a separate ordinance b/c GBO is oriented to new construction and retrofits, not addressing existing buildings under a certain size o May also be easier to pass if it’s just about water Upcoming Events Next Meeting – Wednesday, August 25, 2021, at 6:30 – 8:00 P.M. Adjournment A motion to adjourn is made by Jeff Cohen, seconded by Phil Kock, and passes 7–0. John Hayes Yes Jeff Cohen Yes Gail Kubik Yes Phil Koch Yes Chris Cantone Yes Rick Nye Yes Doug Bowder Yes The meeting ends at 8:20PM. Know Your Rights Under the Open Meeting Law, M.G.L. c. 39 §23B, and City Ordinance Sections 2-2028 through 2-2033. Please contact Jenna Ide at jide@salem.com or 978-619-5699 for more information. 98 WASHINGTON STREET, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 ♦ TEL: 978.745.9595 FAX: 978.740.0404 ♦ WWW.SALEM.COM