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Blue Sky Power presents Clinton draft Community Energy Plan; council told to adopt resolution before July 30
Summary
A consultant outlined a draft Community Energy Plan on June 10 that uses a $10,000 Board of Public Utilities grant to align local priorities with New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan; council members raised questions about EV chargers in flood-prone areas and emergency-response water needs for electric-vehicle fires.
Ben Parvey of Blue Sky Power presented the Town of Clinton’s draft Community Energy Plan at the June 10 meeting, describing it as an action plan that selects strategies from New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan to advance solar, electric vehicles, energy efficiency and inclusion for low- and moderate-income residents.
Parvey said the work was supported by a $10,000 Board of Public Utilities community energy plan grant and that the next steps include soliciting public input, having the council adopt a resolution and submitting the plan to the BPU before the July 30 deadline. "This is not binding the council or members of the public to do anything," Parvey said, describing the plan as a menu of priorities the town may pursue.
Parvey outlined several chosen strategies: reducing transportation-sector emissions (including EVs); accelerating distributed renewable energy such as rooftop and municipal solar; maximizing energy efficiency and demand reduction; reducing building-sector emissions; and encouraging clean-energy innovation and storage. He noted there was no "Strategy 5" in the municipal plan package because that strategy pertains to utility-side electric grid modernization and typically does not apply to municipal policy actions.
Council members asked practical questions. Councilman Kashwick said the local committee that helped shape the plan "are not saying we have to do all these things," and requested the consultant’s PowerPoint be posted to the town website. Councilman Bruno raised emergency-response concerns for electric-vehicle fires, noting his training experience and saying EV battery fires may require substantially more water over time than conventional vehicle fires; Parvey pointed council members to training resources in the work-plan template. Mayor Kovach flagged local water-supply constraints and the town’s floodplain limitations as practical considerations for siting EV chargers.
The council did not vote on the plan at the June 10 meeting; Parvey said the town must complete a public-input step and adopt a resolution to meet the BPU submission deadline. The council intends to consider a resolution at its July meeting and the presentation materials will be posted for public review.
