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Westborough adopts "zero‑emissions vehicle first" policy to qualify for state Climate Leaders grants
Summary
Select Board approved a ZEV-first purchasing policy for town and school fleets, saying battery electric vehicles should be the preferred option and outlining an exception process; the move positions Westborough to apply for state Climate Leaders funding.
The Westborough Select Board on Dec. 2 adopted a "zero‑emissions vehicle first" policy intended to align town and school fleet procurement with the Commonwealth’s Climate Leaders program and unlock grant funding.
Jeffrey Levin, vice chair of Sustainable Westborough, told the board the state has allocated "$60,000,000 over a 3 year period" to the Climate Leaders program and that individual qualifying municipalities can be eligible for sizable grants over the cycle. "The policy wants us to purchase battery electric vehicles as the first option," Levin said, but he added the measure is not an absolute ban on combustion vehicles: "it's not 0 emission vehicles only" and contains an exception route to the capital expenditures committee for cases where electric vehicles are not practicable.
The policy requires annual vehicle-inventory updates, prioritizes battery electric vehicles when replacing units, and lists staged alternatives — plug‑in hybrids then hybrids — if full battery electrics are impracticable. Heavy-duty and third-party vehicles are explicitly exempted. Board members asked how the grants could be used; Levin said the funds support energy-reducing activities including vehicle purchases and charging infrastructure and noted the program is state-funded, not federal.
The school committee had already approved the policy in October; the select board’s adoption completes the municipal approvals needed to pursue Climate Leaders certification. A motion to approve the ZEV‑first policy, amended in discussion to use that exact name, passed unanimously.
