Climate Action Plan Update

The Town of Topsham is updating its Climate Action Plan

Read the Climate Action Plan update here.

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Current Plan

The Town adopted its current Climate Action Plan in 2012. This plan focused on a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory and subsequent actions to limit these emissions. Now, a decade later, an updated plan that is able to focus on the multiple aspects of climate-related impacts, is a priority to the Town.

Update Work

In 2023, the Topsham Energy Committee, working with the Topsham Planning Department, began the process of updating the Climate Action Plan. The new Climate Action Plan intends to focus on adaptation and mitigation strategies, social and economic vulnerability, and a revamped GHG inventory from 2012.

Funding

The project was awarded a Community Action Grant in October of 2023 to fund the hiring of a consultant and project management by Midcoast Council of Governments (MCOG). The grant application is attached below.

RFP

The process of hiring a consultant is underway. A request for proposals (RFP) was made available in late November with proposals due December 19th.

The RFP, submitted and answered questions about the RFP, and the grant application can be found below

FB Environmental has been selected as the consultant.

The Process Continued

Over the last year, since hiring FP Environment and working closely with Midcoast Council of Governments (MCOG) the following milestones have been reached:

Spring 2024 - survey was made available to Topsham residents and a similar survey was provided to Mt Ararat students
July 2024 - 1st Community Workshop, focusing on infrastructure and social vulnerabilities
November 2024- 2nd Community Workshop that allowed attendees to indicate their priorities for the CAP
February 2025 - 3rd Community Workshop, presenting the Draft CAP and actions prioritized by the EC as a result of public input.
In addition to the above items, outreach to the community included tabling events and direct contact with specific housing areas.

Next Steps

We are now at the most critical phase of the plan - getting approval from the Select Board, followed by a Town Meeting vote. The schedule: