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In 2010 with the support of grants from the US Department of Energy and the Vermont Department of Public Service, the Northwest Regional Planning Commission has initiated an energy program aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the region. The NRPC has developed a program that will (a) identify and pursue immediate opportunities for energy efficiency; (b) create institutionalized programs and activities that will result in a long-term, systemic changes in the way we generate and use energy in northwestern Vermont; and (c) develop and maintain a vital economy centered around the use of sustainable, renewable energy resources.
To guide our energy planning efforts, the NRPC Board of Commissioners created a Regional Energy Committee. This Committee serves as an advisory group providing input and policy recommendations to the Board of Commissioners on pertinent regional energy issues. This Committee will be responsible for helping to develop NRPC’s energy planning program, serve as a liaison between local communities and the various stakeholders in energy planning, and help to identify and implement energy projects in the region. Each community in the region may appoint a representative to the Regional Energy Committee.
The NRPC’s Energy Program includes the following activities:
Developing the Green Economy
The NRPC seeks to promote jobs and economic development opportunities in the clean energy sector. The NRPC will work with partner organizations to offer workforce training, to conduct economic impact analyses of energy projects, to support local agriculture, and to organize a regional energy conference.
Transportation Demand Management
The NRPC will pursue the development and implementation of transportation programs that enable and encourage carpooling, public transit, walking, biking and other transportation options, including the expansion of existing programs such as “Safe Routes to School” and the “Way to Go” Commuter Challenge.
Renewable Energy Generation
The NRPC will explore the feasibility of creating new, renewable energy generation in the region. The feasibility analysis will identify opportunities and challenges for wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and other clean energy technologies and will consider both positive and negative implications of potential projects.
Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings and Services
The NRPC will help municipalities become more energy efficient by supporting energy audits and street-lighting analyses and implementing energy efficiency retrofits on publicly-owned buildings and roads. This project will result in measurable reductions in electrical and thermal energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and municipal energy bills that will benefit tax-payers throughout the community.
Integrated Land Use, Transportation and Energy Plans
The NRPC will increase energy conservation and efficiency in the region through integrated land use, transportation, environmental, and energy planning and implementation. NRPC staff will provide technical assistance to municipalities to develop municipal plans and development regulations that will promote compact land use patterns and energy efficient site design. The NRPC will also help interested municipalities to organize local energy committees and to identify and pursue grant opportunities related to energy and climate change.
For more information about these projects or programs please contact Catherine Dimitruk, cdimitruk@nrpcvt.com or Deb Perry, dperry@nrpcvt.com, phone 802-524-5958.