Climate change accord is signed by Selectmen
ENVIRONMENT
BY PETER B. BRACE INDEPENDENT WRITER
Three selectmen, enough for a majority, signed a resolution at Nantucket's earth day celebration at Bartlett's Ocean View Farm for the town to participate with the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives in its Cities for Climate Protection Campaign.

The Cities for Climate Protection Campaign provides a basis for municipal governments to work towards lowering their and their citizens' greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing their lives in their community through education on how to solve climate change issues.

Sustainable Nantucket's efforts both at the March 12 Board of Selectmen meeting at which the board unanimously agreed to sign this resolution and outside the meeting room lobbying the selectmen, produced the town's agreement to take part in this initiative. Nantucket joins 27 other Massachusetts towns in the ICLI including Amherst, Barnstable, Boston, Falmouth, Gloucester, Hull, Kingston, Newburyport, Newton, Northampton, Salem, Somerville, Springfield, Williamstown and Worcester.

Sustainable Nantucket Executive Director Michelle Whelan is most pleased with the selectmen's cooperation.

"For us, it means that we'll hopefully be working with the Energy Study Committee to formulate a climate protection action plan or we'll assist them and the Town of Nantucket," said Whelan. "I think this is a wonderful public statement by the Board of Selectmen about their commitment to environment and I think they should be applauded."

What happens next is up to the town. Although the Energy Study Committee is currently researching possible installation of wind turbines on Nantucket and the Planning Commission is pushing a plan for a wind farm south of Tuckernuck Island, Town Manager Libby Gibson said the signing of the ICLI does not immediately start up any own energy efficiency

programs. I