Town hopes to become a Climate Leader Community

Now that Lincoln has approved a Climate Action Plan, the next step seen by the Green Energy Committee is for the town to become a state-certified Climate Leader Community (CLC), 

The Select Board decided earlier this month to formally apply for technical assistance from the Mass. Department of Energy Resources by November 29 to help prepare an application for the CLC designation that’s due by next summer.

If Lincoln becomes a CLC, it will be eligible for grants to help implement its Climate Action Plan that the town approved in 2023. The CLC program expands on the Green Communities program (of which Lincoln is already a part) by encouraging movement not only towards energy efficiency, but also greenhouse gas reduction.

There are six eligibility requirements for CLCs, three of which Lincoln has already met: having a Green Energy Committee, being already designated as a Green Community, and adopting an opt-in specialized energy code. Before next summer, the town must also:

• Commit to ending onsite use of fossil fuels by 2050
• Adopt a Zero Emissions First policy
• Create a Municipal Decarbonization Roadmap

The consultant will help town officials and the Green Energy Committee (GEC) to draft the Municipal Decarbonization Roadmap, which identifies specific “green” projects in town that would be eligible for future grant applications. A Zero Emissions First policy affects procurement future decisions when purchasing town vehicles for first responders and the DPW. 

This last requirement might be the toughest for Lincoln. “We’re getting pushback from departments on eclectic vehicles,” such as issues with back-ordered police cars and concerns about whether EVs would have enough power for things like snow plowing, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said at the board’s November 4 meeting. 

This will make us take a hard look at all that stuff,” Select Board member Jim Hutchinson said. “It’s really a question of how hard we can push.”

The GEC is also hoping the town will hire a professional climate coordinator or sustainability manager to oversee and coordinate Lincoln’s various sustainability efforts. However, several other departments are also seeking additional staff.

“I think we would be hard-pressed to make room for this position in the fiscal year 2026 budget, but I could see prioritizing it in the coming years,” Higgins said.