Click here to learn about the Town's next steps to get us to Net Zero.
Rescue Food. Nourish Our Community
Excellent presentations on building electrification and getting to Net Zero, including: (1) Arlington's Home Rule Petition (H.3570, Rep. Sean Garballey; Sen. Cindy Friedman) for authority to require fossil fuel-free new buildings and major rehabs and (2) legislation for a local option for all-electric buildings (S.1333/H.2167). Testimony from State legislators, municipal leaders and other experts.
On December 30, 2021, the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) published its anticipated Final CSO Performance Assessment, as part of a series of regulatory reports that have been submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. These reports are a requirement of the landmark Boston Harbor Cleanup Case.
What the MWRA Final CSO Performance Assessment Report Doesn’t Say:
Based on modeling, rather than real data, the report claims that there were a total of 6.26 million gallons of CSO discharge in the Alewife Brook in 2021.5 The reality is that in 2021 there was a total of 50 million gallons of sewage water discharge into the Alewife Brook. The true data is eight times worse than the MWRA’s modeled data. The MWRA’s CSO report is off by 43 million gallons!
Read more here:
https://savethealewifebrook.org/2022/01/02/mwras-2021-final-cso-performance-assessment/
The Alewife Brook continues to be polluted by raw sewage after many rainstorms because of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). Roughly 50,000,000 gallons of sewage-contaminated water has flowed into Alewife Brook during 2021. Details here.
Diane Mahon, Select Board Vice Chair, will discuss this issue Mon., Dec. 20, at the Arlington Select Board meeting. It's no. 14 on the agenda.
The Arlington Clean Heat Steering Committee supports a strong net-zero stretch code for MA and explains why in their Dec. 15 letter to the editor of YourArlington.
"...A true net-zero code would be a tremendous step forward in combating greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. A weak code would be a disaster. ...
Arlington has already taken the lead in advocating for a strong, net-zero code. Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine has assembled a group of 30 towns and cities to submit a letter to Secretary of Energy Kathleen Theoharides urging the adoption of a strong code and making clear that at a minimum it must allow for the clean heat (no fossil fuels) measures Town Meeting endorsed last year. Area Munis Signal Support of Net Zero Stretch Code | Town Manager News | Town of Arlington (arlingtonma.gov).
These municipalities include all our neighbors: Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Winchester and Lexington. Building codes seem technical and a little boring, until you realize the enormous difference they make. ..." Read more.
Grant advances electrification of municipal fleet goal of Net Zero Action Plan.
The Department of Planning and Community Development and Arlington Public Schools are pleased to announce that the Town will receive $326,579 to replace two older diesel school buses with new model year 2022 battery electric school buses as part of a competitive grant program award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) State Diesel Emissions Reductions Act (DERA) grant program.
In addition to funding the two new school buses, the grant will finance the purchase and installation of two direct current charging stations for the buses.
Read the full release at arlingtonma.gov/planning