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March 28, 2007 GAC Update
Governor Deval Patrick, City officials, and others participated in a press conference this morning announcing the Cambridge Energy Alliance, a program to invest $100 million in efficiency projects in Cambridge and reduce electricity demand by 50 MW.
At Monday’s roundtable meeting, the Council heard a presentation on the evolution of Kendall Square as a center for innovation.
Vice Mayor and City Councillor Timothy Toomey, Jr. has announced he will not run for the State Senate seat that had been held by former Senate President Robert Travaglini.
The Chamber is presenting a Real Estate Roundtable on Cambridge Zoning next Wednesday featuring Les Barber, Director of Zoning for the City of Cambridge. This event is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in the Chamber Board Room and the cost is $10 for members and $40 for non-members. Registration and more information is available on the Chamber website www.cambridgechamber.org.
City Manager Healy spoke at Tuesday’s Government Affairs meeting and luncheon and discussed a number of matters including the Cambridge Energy Alliance. Next week’s Update will include a full story on the Manager’s remarks.
The City Council does not meet next week.
Upcoming GAC Events
The 2007 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Genzyme.
April GAC
TBA
Vice Mayor and State Representative Toomey to Address May GAC
Cambridge Vice Mayor and State Representative Timothy Toomey, Jr. was scheduled to be our guest in January and had to cancel due to legislative responsibilities at the State House. He will now be our guest on Tuesday, May 22 at noon at the Chamber Board Room. Please e-mail tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phone 617-876-4213 if you plan to attend.
Governor Patrick Announces Cambridge Energy Alliance
City of Cambridge officials, with the ringing endorsement of state and business leaders including Governor Deval Patrick, today launched the Cambridge Energy Alliance. This new non-profit organization will design, market, finance, manage, and document unprecedented efficiency improvements in the use of energy, water, and transportation. Overall, the Cambridge Energy Alliance initiatives will lead to a substantial reduction in the carbon emissions of the City of Cambridge.
Specifically, the Cambridge Energy Alliance aims to: reduce electricity demand by 50MW, a 15% peak load reduction; reduce annual electricity and water consumption by 10% city-wide; achieve a participation rate of 50% in each sector (e.g. municipal, commercial, residential); and reduce annual GHG emissions from the city by 150,000 tons (10%) by 2011.
The Cambridge Energy Alliance will carry out a $100+ million massive energy efficiency implementation effort, while also installing, where feasible, new renewable and clean energy generation, and technologies that curb electricity use during peak demand periods. The tagline of the program, which will also target transportation, water use and heating efficiencies, is Saving Money and the Planet. Start-up support for this project has been provided by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation and the Barr Foundation.
The project incorporates innovative financing techniques which could be used to develop similar energy efficiency projects in other Massachusetts communities as well as those across New England. Approximately 80% of the financing will come from private sources, without obligation to Cambridge or the state, resulting in an approach which should be highly attractive to cash strapped cities and towns. The remaining 20% will generally come from a number of electrical utility incentive programs that were established in part to promote energy efficiency. Energy savings and clean energy installations will in most cases be paid for by the project financing and be repaid from future energy savings. No upfront costs will be required for such installations, and there will be no cost to Cambridge or state taxpayers.
The Chamber has been involved in the planning of this project and Chamber Director of Government Affairs Terrence Smith sits on the Alliance advisory committee. More information on this exciting project is available at the Cambridge Energy Alliance at www.cambridgeenergyalliance.org/
Roundtable on Kendall Square History
The Council met on Monday in a roundtable setting and the Broad Institute in Kendall Square. The Council heard a presentation by Robert and Arthur Krim of the Boston History and Innovation Collaborative on the history of innovation in Kendall Square. Mayor Reeves called this roundtable to help the Council better understand Cambridge’s roll as a leadership in technology and innovation for more than 100 years.
Toomey out of Senate Race
Cambridge Vice Mayor and State Representative Timothy Toomey, Jr. announced this week that he will not be running for the State Senate seat recently vacated by former Senate President Robert Travaglini. In his announcement he thanked those who had expressed support for his running for this office and stated that he is happy doing what he is doing. A copy of the press release is available at Toomey Press Release.
