Climate Committee Delays Renewable Energy Article to Fall Meeting

Climate Change Committee · Meeting of April 16, 2026

Pepperell's Climate Change Committee pushes a renewable energy warrant article to the fall after a meeting mix-up voids the earlier vote. Members said a March meeting used an incorrect remote-access password, putting its official status in doubt, and that a newly signed 30-year "Schedule Z" natural gas contract with a Clinton-based supplier, Vanguard, upended their financial model for a companion solar project: "it broke our model," one member said. Separately, the town's new community garden opens this spring at $35 membership plus 10 cents per square foot, with plots running $45 to $75; eight gardeners have already signed up.

Committee member Renee said she spent more than 20 hours on a $379,000 state grant application for a townwide street tree assessment, with a decision expected in June. A committee member, Kevin, said National Grid will cover up to 100 percent of costs for an EV charger sited in Pepperell's environmental justice zone, which runs along the library side of Main Street.

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Source: the Climate Change Committee meeting of April 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.