HomeMy WebLinkAbout04052012 Energy Study Committee MinutesDRAFT Minutes for regular monthly meeting on April 5, 2012, 2 Fairgrounds Road, 5PMNext scheduled regular monthly meeting is on May 3, 2012, 5PM, 2 Fairgrounds Road
In attendance were Committee Members Anne Kuszpa, Zach Dusseau, John Stover, Ken Blackshaw, and
H. Flint Ranney, constituting a quorum. For the first part of the meeting Ian Golding participated by tele-phone with Committee approval, but did not vote.
Others in attendance in the audience were: Lauren Sinatra, Whitey Willauer, Leslie Johnson, Mary Gam-
bee, Bob DeCosta, Sandy Welsh, Jeff Booms, and Mary-adair Macaire.
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Kuszpa at 5:02PM. The agenda was approved, as were min-utes of meetings on March 1, March 8, March 27, and April 2, 2012. Whitey announced that on the previ-
ous evening the BOS had accepted his resignation from the NESC. Mary Gambee read a letter from Mary
Wawro concerning a video showing NESC committee members supporting the MWT and suggesting that open meeting law violations may have occurred in preparation and production of the video, and asking if the NESC had voted to approve this video or if it was done in an unlawful secret meeting. She asked if public funds were expended on it. Her letter is attached as a .pdf to these minutes.
Anne asked for members’ response. Ken said that in the video he expressed his personal beliefs; John said that the facts that he presented in the video were all neutral and obtained in public NESC or subcommit-tee meetings; Flint detailed his participation resulting from a call from Anne, and another from producer
Geno Geng, with no other NESC member communication and said he resented the implication that NESC
members had violated any laws; John said that he strongly resented that implication; Zach said that he had participated on his own without NESC involvement; Anne said the NESC did not discuss the video and that no public funds were expended, since Geno had produced the video as a public service.
Public discussion regarding the failure of the MWT project to pass Town Meeting included comments that
the proposed turbine was too big, that smaller turbines on the site would not be as cost effective nor as efficient, and that the grant funds for this project have been expended. Bob DeCosta agreed with Flint that no wind turbine will ever be built at the Madaket Landfill. There was some consideration as to whether the committee should recommend the BOS issue a non-committal RFP to gauge industry response. It was
determined that the committee shall pursue no further action related to installing a wind turbine at the landfill because of lack of Selectmen support of this initiative. .
Lauren Sinatra outlined the various projects that her office is following, including soon-to-be installed
electric charging stations for vehicles, MassSave energy audits, a PV solar project video, and the Madaket
wave study project. John volunteered to join Anne and Zach on the subcommittee on developing Nan-tucket’s Energy Plan, to meet at 11AM on April 11. One of the objects will be to have Nantucket adopt the Green Communities Act. Lauren suggested that the existing draft NEP is inherently flawed, is not Nan-tucket specific, and that the Nantucket Energy Office is focusing on developing an Energy Plan. She ex-
pressed concern about potentially overlapping or conflicting efforts.
Motion to adjourn made, seconded, and voted unanimously at 6:25PM.
Respectfully submitted,
DRAFT H. Flint Ranney, Secretary
Nantucket Energy Study Committeehttp://www.ackenergy.org