Increase Fairhaven’s Renewable Energy Purchase
Fairhaven has a history of leadership on sustainability, and our community has the chance right now to continue that leadership by increasing the Town’s purchase of local, renewable energy in the 2021 Community Choice Electricity Aggregation (CCA) contract.
Simply put, CCA is a process where municipalities can come together and gradually switch the energy supplied to households and businesses over to cleaner energy, and it has an opt-out provision for anyone not interested in participating. Fairhaven has been part of a local aggregation group for two years at considerable savings to government, residents and businesses.
Climate Reality Massachusetts Southcoast would like to publicly thank Fairhaven’s Sustainability Committee for joining us in endorsing a 10% increase in local renewable energy for Fairhaven residences and businesses. Together, we advocate for this 10% increase because:
• The local environment benefits from adding renewables — such as mitigating the effects of climate change on sea level rise and ocean warming — would more than offset the small estimated, and likely temporary, rate increase; and
• Increasing demand for local, renewable energy will help create more jobs in the clean energy industry, just as New Bedford is poised to become the regional leader in offshore wind.
Fairhaven residents concerned about these issues can participate in the following ways:
1. Contact the Selectboard members this week to advocate for the 10% increase. The sample script, contact info and talking points can be found here: https://bit.ly/ Fhvnscript
2. Watch for, and complete, a community survey from the Sustainability Committee and Climate Reality to help gauge interest in this issue.
Find out more by joining Climate Reality’s monthly meeting (currently online) each first Monday at 7:30 p.m. Please go to bit.ly/joincrsc or send us an email at <crmasc2019@gmail.com> for more information, and join our Facebook group at Climate Reality Project: MA Southcoast Chapter.
Laura Gardner and Jean Lawlor
Fairhaven residents and members of Climate Reality MA Southcoast
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