HARTFORD —The Selectboard will vote this week on whether to adopt a revised climate action plan that calls for dramatic increases to the number of electric vehicles in town, a transition away from fossil fuels to electric-powered heat pumps in homes and 90 more acres of tree cover.
Erik Krauss, chairman of the Hartford Climate Advisory Committee, said last week that the plan is largely made up of recommendations. But if the Selectboard passes a resolution on Wednesday’s agenda, he said, town officials would take action and establish a team to oversee its implementation and instruct Town Manager Tracy Yarlott-Davis to create a timeline and cost estimates.
She also would be given the responsibility to develop annual reports on Hartford’s progress.
Supporters of the plan emphasize that it is a “living” document that can be adjusted during the implementation phase.
Hartford in 2019 declared a climate emergency to encourage more local action to limit carbon emissions. Last year, residents at Town Meeting also passed an article requiring Hartford’s municipal infrastructure to be carbon neutral by 2027.
Since then, a team of 32 community members — including residents, business owners and municipal staff — volunteered over 1,200 hours to come up with the climate action plan with the help of Redmond’s Minnesota-based firm, paleBluedot.
That group last month presented the plan to the Selectboard and invited public comment, and the new plan incorporates feedback from Selectboard members and residents.
Anonymous comments to the initial plan included one Selectboard member who said public transportation should play a larger role. In response, the team added a new goal: Improving access to public transportation and increasing ridership from 1.72% to 8% by 2030.
In response to concerns issued by Thetford Center resident Stuart Blood, the new plan also backs away from biodiesel. It now proposes that Hartford replace 25% of the community’s diesel with “no/low emission fuels.” A feasibility study might still explore the possibility of sourcing fuel from a “locally operated biodiesel plant.”
The team also amended a section of the plan regarding the spread of vector-borne diseases, and it now recommends building citizen-science programs to monitor for new climate change-driven species, particularly if they carry diseases.
As originally proposed, the climate action plan also recommended establishing a policy or ordinance that would require landlords to provide an “energy disclosure” that details previous occupants’ energy usage and expenses when advertising and leasing properties.
By 2025, Hartford could require rental housing properties to meet a “minimum energy efficiency level to qualify for rental licensing,” the plan recommended.
Krauss said that the Selectboard’s two newly elected members — Michael Hoyt and Lannie Collins — were also offered an opportunity to be brought up to speed on the changes.
“That’s a bit of a wildcard,” he said. “I’m hopeful that the board recognizes the need to transition from strategic planning into implementation work.”
In an interview, Collins said that the plan as a whole is a “very good concept,” but added that it was “lofty in some aspects.”
“There are very good ideas, but I see that there are things that are difficult for some landlords to meet,” he said. “We have a climate crisis, but I don’t think anyone has reached the silver star on how to solve it yet.”
Meanwhile, Hoyt said that he will continue to review the plan over the weekend and looks forward to “some good back and forth and the chance to get some of my questions resolved.”
Although he still has some concerns about the “nuts and bolts” of the plan, Hoyt said, “I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen and the amount of work that went into this.”
Yarlott-Davis, Hartford’s town manager, said that department heads also reviewed the plan and provided “high-level feedback.”
“Once the plan is adopted, we will be looking at the resources needed to begin implementing recommendations as well as feasible timelines for implementation,” she said.
Yarlott-Davis added that her office is “in the final stages of hiring an Environmental Sustainability Coordinator,” a position that will be critical to implementing the plan.
Claire Potter is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at cpotter@vnews.com or 603-727- 3242.