Seacoast Climate Action Newsletter, Jan 6th 2023
Seacoast Climate Action Newsletter, Jan 6th 2023
In this issue:
Portsmouth Climate Action Plan - consultants selected, and a little on what to expect
Events & news
NH Climate Action Plan literally AWOL
Portsmouth selects Climate Action Plan partners
From the Portsmouth City Official Newsletter:
The City has selected a partnership of VHB, Resilience Planning & Design LLC and the Rockingham Planning Commission to create the City’s first Climate Action Plan in partnership with the City Planning and Sustainability Department and the local community. They will start to work internally across all City Departments and through outreach with the community to identify short-, medium- and long-term strategies for a Climate Action Plan that provides an innovative, step-by-step approach to addressing, mitigating, and adapting to ongoing and future climate change impacts in an effective and equitable manner.
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB)
An example of a VHB project: Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan
What to expect from the CAP process (from the RFP documents)
City’s responses to RFP questions has some interesting detail, for instance:
Q: Does the City of Portsmouth have an example of an existing community engagement dashboard that exemplifies the attainment of Goal 7?
A: Concord, Massachusetts has a community engagement platform that is along the lines of something that our community could also benefit from https://sustainableconcord.org/home . We are particularly interested in a platform that is informative, engaging, and meant to be updated often.
Events
Portsmouth Energy Advisory Committee Work Session, Jan 6th
Register for the Zoom session.
NHCAW’s Rising Tides photo contest (Jan - March)
NH Community Power info session, Jan 24th
Hear from: Clifton Below, Asst Mayor of Lebanon ● Henry Herndon, energy consultant ● Don Kreis, NH Consumer Advocate ● Joshua Bourdon, Founder Derry NetZero Task Force ● Jeff Moulton, chair of Derry NetZero Task Force ● Bart Fromuth, Freedom Energy Logistics ● Stuart Ormsbee, Colonial Power Group ● Terry Clark, Cheshire County Commissioner ● Lisa Sweet, Rye Energy Committee ● Joe Kwasnik, moderator, NH Network Legislative Work Group
News
Seacoast Science Center receives excellence award
“Our Dynamic Gulf of Maine: A Place of Urgency and Hope.”
“We are honored to receive this recognition,” CEO Jim Chase said. “The Gulf of Maine is a vibrant and productive ecosystem, yet it is particularly impacted by climate change and is warming faster than most of the world’s oceans. By showcasing the Gulf’s astounding beauty and biodiversity, and sharing stories of the implications of climate change and mediation efforts taking place, our goal is to evoke a deep appreciation for this ecosystem and motivate people to take action to preserve and protect the Gulf of Maine and World Ocean.”
NH Republicans aim to hold back renewables
…energy is likely to be top of mind for many lawmakers, as electricity and home heating costs remain high this winter. A Republican bill looks at phasing out the state’s renewable portfolio standard, the major state policy encouraging renewable energy. The Site Evaluation Committee – which gets a say in whether big energy infrastructure projects move forward – is the subject of additional legislation that seeks to do away with the committee in its current form and shift its responsibilities to the Public Utilities Commission.
Study: Maine is a leader in New England when it comes to preparing for climate change
One theme that emerged across the region as a whole was a failure to include the viewpoints of residents in the most vulnerable and burdened communities in climate change decisions, and to ensure an equitable sharing of resources. While more states are developing policies to include those goals, implementation has lagged, researchers said.
Also:
In contrast, New Hampshire has had a climate action plan since 2009, but it “remains largely unused” due to a lack of state leadership and will, the researchers said. It is the only New England state that hasn’t adopted legislation to transition away from fossil fuels, leaving municipalities and regional planning commissions to take the lead on mitigation and adaptation on their own.
The NH Climate Action Plan mentioned (from 2009!)
So about that NH Climate Action Plan…
If you visit the homepage for the NH Climate Action Plan, and click on the report… you get the below.
NH’s Climate Action Plan is literally missing (as well as being ignored).
