GOVERNOR PATRICK ANNOUNCES $50M FOR COMPREHENSIVE CLIMATE CHANGE
PREPAREDNESS INITIATIVES
Includes $40M to harden energy services
BOSTON - Tuesday, January 14,
2014 - Governor Deval Patrick today announced a $50 million investment for a
statewide plan to address the present and future impacts of climate change in
Massachusetts. These investments will assess and address vulnerabilities in
public health, transportation, energy and the Commonwealth’s built environment.
"I believe that we have a
generational responsibility to address the multiple threats of climate
change," said Governor Patrick. "Massachusetts needs to be ready, and
our plan will make sure that we are."
The plan includes a $40 million
municipal resilience grant program, to be administered by the Massachusetts
Department of Energy Resources (DOER), that will enable cities and towns to
harden energy services at critical sites using clean energy technology. The
grants will be funded through Alternative Compliance Payments (ACP), which are paid
by electric retail suppliers if they have insufficient Renewable or Alternative
Energy Certificates to meet their compliance obligations under the Renewable
and Alternative Portfolio Standard programs.
The Department of Public
Utilities (DPU) will work with utilities to determine ways to accelerate storm
hardening and deploy micro-grids and resiliency projects for transmission and
distribution. In addition, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental
Affairs (EEA) will establish an inventory of generation facilities
vulnerability and preparedness plans.
“Recent storms and related
outages serve as a reminder that it is critical we secure our energy grid to
endure more extreme weather patterns,” said Secretary of EEA Rick Sullivan. “I
will work with my team, my colleagues across the Administration and
stakeholders to act quickly and responsibly to harden our energy sources.”
The Governor’s plan also calls
for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to conduct a
statewide vulnerability assessment for all facilities and adopt Climate
Adaptation Plans by 2015. MassDOT Secretary Richard A. Davey will establish an
internal working group to advise on next steps and work with stakeholders. The
Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which also owns and operates a
number of historic parkways and roadways that are particularly vulnerable to
flooding and sea level rise, will conduct an assessment to determine and
quantify the levels of exposure and susceptibility that DCR’s parkways and roadways
face.
"The MassDOT team is
committed to undertaking a thorough assessment of the Commonwealth's
transportation network to identify vulnerabilities," said Secretary Davey.
"Through our planning and action we will be laying the groundwork necessary
to react to climate change and its impact on our rails, ports, roads and
bridges."
Additionally, to decrease
long-term risk, smart growth and sustainable development planning will include
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) planners to advise on hazards
and resiliency, and MEMA will share hazard data for use in building
assessments.
As a state with a long, densely
populated coastline, Massachusetts is particularly vulnerable to sea level
rise. The Patrick Administration is investing $10 million in critical coastal
infrastructure and dam repair, including $1 million in municipal grants offered
by the Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) to reduce or eliminate risk
associated with coastal storms and sea level rise. As natural solutions have
often proved to be the best defense against nature, CZM will implement a $1
million program for Green Infrastructure for Coastal Resilience pilot projects.
Evidence also suggests that
public health impacts of climate change will be felt most directly and severely
at the local level. To help local boards of health in preparing for the impacts
of climate change, the Governor announced that the Department of Public Health
(DPH) will develop additional resources at the state level to identify areas of
special concern, draft model strategies to address these and enhance education
and training. EEA and DPH will partner to conduct analysis on monitoring
vector-borne disease in both oysters and mosquitoes. In addition, the
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will work with communities to
assess the vulnerability of infrastructure associated with potable water, which
is critical to public health and safety.
"The impact of climate
change on the public health is increasingly apparent," said DPH
Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett, RN. "We thank Governor Patrick for his
leadership on this issue and look forward to working with our state and local
partners to implement strategies to reduce the health effects of climate change
in many areas including mosquito-borne illness and vibrio."
The effects of climate change are
already evident here in Massachusetts. Since 2010 alone, the Commonwealth has
endured five major storms, including Superstorm Sandy. There has also been an
increase in vector-borne diseases; in the summer of 2012, Massachusetts saw a
significant rise in Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) that led to aerial
spraying, and in 2013 oyster beds had to be closed for the first time in
Massachusetts history because of vibrio parahaemolyticus. In order to help
state agencies and municipalities better understand these climate change
impacts, EEA will partner with UMass Amherst’s Northeast Climate Science Center
to appoint a state climatologist. To deliver useful information to residents,
the Commonwealth will work to aggregate climate preparedness resources into a
single online portal for easy public access.
In addition to the $40 million in
ACP funds and $10 million in capital funds for coastal projects, the Governor
will seek $2 million in the Fiscal Year 2015 budget to accomplish the remaining
interagency efforts.
“By century’s end, researchers
warn that the annual number of days with property-damaging thunderstorms on the
eastern seaboard will increase as much as 42 percent,” said Senator Mike
Barrett. “I applaud the Governor for his vision and leadership on this issue.”
"As a legislator who
represents coastal communities I am acutely aware of the triple threat of
climate change, increasing storm activity, and aging infrastructure to our
quality of life," said Representative Jim Cantwell. "I can also
attest to the challenges that we encounter in trying to coordinate government
and utility responses to storm-related incidents. Accordingly I applaud the
Governor's efforts to create a comprehensive response for the effects of
climate change. I am specifically pleased to see significant emphasis on
investments to lessen the loss of power during significant storms, which has
been a recurring, major threat to the health and safety of residents throughout
Massachusetts. Having witnessed first-hand the benefits of advance
emergency planning, revitalized coastal infrastructure, and general climate
adaptation strategies I also appreciate the Administration's continued
partnership to address dangers associated with coastal storms and sea level
rise."
“Effectively managing impacts of
extreme weather will require coordinated long-term planning and investments in
adaptive infrastructure at every level of government, especially in a coastal
state like Massachusetts,” said Representative Carolyn Dykema. “With this
initiative, Governor Patrick is drawing attention to this crucial issue and
providing leadership that's crucial to protecting the welfare of our residents
and the future of our Commonwealth.”
“Given the serious potential for
harmful impacts to Massachusetts and its electric grid due to climate change, I
applaud the Patrick Administration’s efforts to invest in more resilient and
modern infrastructure,” said Representative John Keenan.
Since taking office, the Patrick
Administration has been committed to mitigating the impacts of climate change
by advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Commonwealth. As a
result, Massachusetts now has more than 525 megawatts of wind and solar
installed and has established the most ambitious and effective energy
efficiency plans in the nation.
The Patrick Administration’s
aggressive clean energy initiatives have made Massachusetts a leader in energy
efficiency, renewable energy and emissions reductions. The American Council for
an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has named Massachusetts number one for
three years running. This year, Governor Patrick set a new solar goal after
reaching the previous goal of 250 megawatts four years early. The Commonwealth
now aims to install 1,600 megawatts of solar capacity by 2020. The clean energy
revolution is yielding economic benefits as well, with 11.8 percent job growth
in the last year and 24 percent growth in the last two years; nearly 80,000
people are employed in the cleantech industry in Massachusetts.
Many of these investments are
happening at the local level, as municipalities, businesses and individuals
adopt energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions to reduce energy costs.
Today, the Commonwealth is home to 123 and towns who have risen to the
challenge and met five clean energy criteria – earning them the Green
Communities Designation.
Last January, the Patrick
Administration announced the state’s Accelerated Energy Program (AEP), which
aims to reduce energy consumption by 20-25 percent over 700 state sites,
creating about 4,000 clean energy jobs and saving the Commonwealth an estimated
$43 million annually. AEP will significantly reduce the current annual
consumption of more than 800 million kilowatt hours of electricity, 12 million
gallons of heating oil, 55 million therms of natural gas, and emissions of more
than 800,000 tons of greenhouse gases, which represent more than 4,000
buildings and 58 million square feet. The program will save an estimated
135,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases annually, the equivalent of removing
26,000 vehicles from the road per year.
In 2008, Governor Patrick signed
the Global Warming Solutions Act, which authorized the Commonwealth to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and at least
80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
