Climate, Energy & Utilities Committee

Meetings

4:00 p.m.
First Thursday of each month
City Hall, Conference Room A
131 Church Street
Belfast, ME 04915

Members:9 Members/3-Year Terms

Jonathan Beal (Chair)
3 Year Term Term Expires: July 1, 2024
Gerald Brand
3 Year Term Term Expires: July 1, 2026
Bernard Baker (Secretary)
3 Year Term Term Expires: July 1, 2024
Patrick Walsh
3 Year Term Term Expires: July 1, 2026
VACANCY
VACANCY
VACANCY
VACANCY
VACANCY
Eric Sanders - Mayor

Mission Statement:

The CEUC’s mission is to catalyze actions throughout the Belfast community for a sustainable future while adapting to climate and technological change. We will:

A. Educate the community by means of expert presentations, imaginative performances or exhibitions, interactive demonstration programs, surveys, and the like;

B. Engage the community by providing citizen-science programs, opportunities to participate in CEUC projects, and other means;

C. Collect local data, giving priority to data about relevant natural and human ecosystems, energy use and generation; maintain and expand collection and analysis of local weather, tide and other environmental data.

D. Offer recommendations to the City Council based on such data, so as to assist it in making policy decisions, including its planning, implementation and monitoring of the City’s Climate Action Plan, and energy and resilience projects. Identify potential sources for grants and other financial support for City actions.

E. Collaborate whenever possible and useful with other groups in Maine—or national and international groups—having compatible missions.

As stated in the City’s 2023 Committee Restructuring Plan, this Committee’s subject matter jurisdiction includes, but is not limited to:

Energy development projects

Local electrical grid/microgrid projects

Public utility liaison activities

Energy efficiency/weatherization improvements

Electric vehicle purchases and electric vehicle charger installations

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) education/awareness

efforts

Emission reduction targeting

Sea level rise projections and planning

Riparian area protection planning

Source water protection planning

Storm debris management planning

The CEUC was established on 7/1/23 through the merger of the Climate Crisis Committee [CCC] and the Energy Committee [EC], as part of the restructuring of City Committees approved by City Council on 6/20/23.

Background:

The Energy Committee [EC] was established in 2007 as the Energy and Climate Committee, which was very active for about 5 years. Among several projects it undertook during that time, it researched and issued Belfast’s first carbon footprint report, 2007 Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Belfast, Maine (2008). Around 2014, EC returned to active status, focusing on sustainability and cost-saving measures for our municipal operations and facilities. Its achievements included approving solar arrays to power City operations, installing LED streetlights, and moving forward on weatherizing City buildings.

Climate Crisis Committee (CCC) Established:

The CCC was established by the City Council on March 20, 2018. In contrast to the EC, the CCC was designed to address climate-related work into the broader community, networking with other sustainability groups active throughout the state to help tackle the increasing complex impacts of climate change, especially for coastal communities. CCC drafted Belfast’s first Climate Action Plan, and issued a number of reports and recommendations, usually after public meetings and input.

1. 11-4-’19 [What has CCC done so far and how can you help?]

https://vimeo.com/371268855

2. 12-2-’20 [Go Solar Now]

https://vimeo.com/user30622033/review/377273363/1032c1c458

Also, https://vimeo.com/390856301

3. 1-13-’20 [Efficiency Maine & Window Dressers]

https://vimeo.com/384890518

4. 2-10-’20 [Climate Emergency #1, student activists from all over]

https://vimeo.com/390856301

5. 3-9-’20 [Climate Emergency #2, Should Belfast Declare a Climate Emergency?]

https://vimeo.com/396738584

6. 9-28-’20 [Climate Change and the Future of Public Health] {Zoom}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4yn99dzl9Q&t=604s OR go to YouTube and search “Belfast Climate Crisis Committee.”

7. 12-14-’20 [The Maine Climate Council’s Action Plan: What Does it Mean for Belfast?] {Zoom}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DclGtm2alPI&list=PL4CxlaYUpHJwzQk00apvXeha7nxtgpKyF&index=15; [under Belfast Free Library]

Also, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DclGtm2alPI&feature=youtube [also under Belfast Free Library]

8. 1-25-’21 [Little River Conversations]{Zoom}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqeDtvYhY98 [under Belfast Crisis Climate Committee.]

Report Concerning Community Outreach Meeting on the Future of the Little River—February 9, 2021 (PDF)

Waldo County Climate Change Symposium Report: "Preparing for Tomorrow - Our Climate Future" [date?]

9. 2-22-’21 [Maine Youth Climate Leaders] {Zoom}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CyslFmqHgE [under Belfast Crisis Climate Committee.]

10. 3-29-’21 [Carbon Neutrality] {Zoom}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOLBzZk2ErE [Under Belfast Free Library]

11. 6-22-’21 [Sea Level Rise, Storms and Citizen Science with Gayle Bowness] {Zoom} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdLRR_03L1o [Under Belfast Free Library]

This program launched the series “All of Belfast Climate Dialogues” (ABCD), sponsored by the Belfast Free Library, co-sponsored by the CCC

Belfast Shoreline Property Owners Meeting

In collabration with ABCD[1] program,CCC facilitated a public meeting on July 6, 2022, at the Belfast Community Boathouse. The meeting presented information about the coming impact of our changing climate on shoreline properties. The videotape is available online: https://vimeo.com/727779405 The slides by Mssrs. Slovinsky and Gartley were supplied by their authors and are available online: https://abcdbelfast.omeka.net/items/show/116

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