Arlington Sets 30-Year Plan To Reduce Greenhouse Gases To Zero

ARLINGTON, MA — The town's Clean Energy Future Committee announced Tuesday it has completed the Net Zero Action Plan, a roadmap to net zero greenhouse gas pollution by 2050.

The plan includes greenhouse gas reduction measures in three categories: Net Zero Buildings, Zero Emissions Mobility and Clean Energy Supply. It calls for reducing greenhouse gas pollution by making buildings more energy efficient and powering them with carbon-free electricity, better mobility choices to reduce reliance on automobiles and making cars, trucks and buses zero-emission.

In 2018, the Select Board adopted a goal to achieve net zero greenhouse has pollution by 2050. That same year, it created the Clean Energy Future Committee to guide the town's efforts to reach that goal. The Committee began work on a Net Zero Action Plan in September 2019 and completed the plan Feb. 26.

"The Net Zero Action Plan gives us a clear roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas pollution," Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said in a statement. "I applaud the hard work of the Clean Energy Future Committee for successfully writing this plan over many months."

The plan builds on nearly 20 years of the town's progress on emissions reduction and serves as an organizing framework on the path to net zero. Arlington will revisit and adjust the plan as needed over the years.

"The Department of Planning and Community Development played a major supporting role in the creation of the Net Zero Action Plan," said Jennifer Raitt, director of Planning and Community Development, said in a statement. "We look forward to this new phase of helping the town implement the Plan in the months and years to come."

The town of Arlington partnered with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to develop the Net Zero Action Plan. The Clean Energy Future Committee, supported by the Department of Planning and Community Development and MAPC, sought input from numerous community groups and individuals, including town departments, boards and committees, as well as business, civic and faith groups. A Net Zero Survey in June 2020 and a Net Zero Virtual Open House in November 2020 elicited input from over 1,000 residents about what to include in the Net Zero Action Plan.

This project was supported by a Planning Assistance Grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, as well as matching funds and technical support from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and the Town of Arlington. In addition to the Net Zero Action Plan, the project included creation of a Greenhouse Gas Inventory detailing all sources of greenhouse gas pollution from the Town of Arlington. The Net Zero Action Plan and Greenhouse Gas Inventory are available from the Clean Energy Future Committee at www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/boards-and-committees/clean-energy-future-committee.

The Clean Energy Future Committee plans to present the Net Zero Action Plan at a public meeting of the Select Board in the coming months. For more information about Arlington’s Net Zero Action Plan, please contact Ken Pruitt, Energy and Project Manager, at 781-316-3428 or at kpruitt@town.arlington.ma.us.