Hello Lincolntalk, The Town is thrilled to announce it has received a $100,000 municipal climate resilience grant to develop the Town's Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (L-CAP). Awarded by the Baker-Polito Administration's Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, which is administered by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), these competitive grants support cities and towns in identifying climate hazards, developing strategies to improve resilience, and implementing priority actions to adapt to climate change. Lincoln's is one of 73 projects to have received action grant funding in the latest round of applications. This grant application was a monumental group effort, thanks in large part to the 27(!) letters of support we received from citizen groups, individual residents, and Town officials and departments.
The MVP program has awarded $100 million in funding and technical support to communities across the state. With this year's awards, 97% of Massachusetts cities and towns, or 341 municipalities, are enrolled. Created in 2017 as part of Governor Baker's Executive Order 569, the MVP program pairs local leadership and knowledge with a significant investment of resources and funding from the Commonwealth to address ongoing climate change impacts like sea level rise, inland flooding, storms, and extreme temperatures. Climate Action Lincoln, a subcommittee of the Town's Green Energy Committee, has been advocating for the development of a Climate Action Plan for several years. In 2021, Climate Action Lincoln conducted extensive outreach to 12 Town Boards and Committees and presented at the State of the Town Meeting on November 1, 2021, and at the March 2, 2022 Annual Town Meeting on the urgency to plan and prepare for climate impacts and mitigate carbon emissions. Lincoln residents responded by unanimously voting to embark on a process to develop a Climate Action Plan for the Town. This plan will build on the Town's 2019 MVP Community Resilience Building Workshop, which identified seniors, low-income residents, and people living alone as more susceptible to extreme heat and other climate risks. The workshop and corresponding data analysis also identified flooding, severe storms, and droughts as top hazards. The planning process will center on inclusive and equitable community engagement to identify priorities, goals, and strategies for the Town to rapidly build community resilience, adapt to these climate impacts, and develop actionable strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We are grateful to those who have shown support and assisted in this effort thus far, and all members of the Community will have many opportunities to get involved as the process moves forward. More information will be made available in the coming weeks. Best regards, Climate Action Lincoln Members: Sue Klem (Chair), Roy Harvey, Emily Haslett, Staci Montori, Lynne Smith Staff: Jennifer Curtin, Assistant Director of Planning and Land Use
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