A car rushes by the Clifford Park gates, which is a central environmental hub in Biddeford lacking adequate public access. Areas like public parks, public transportation and walking accessibility are a focus of the proposed climate action plan. Janet Briggs/Mainely Media

The Biddeford Climate Council Task Force hosted a workshop on Aug. 8 to present and discuss its proposed climate action development plan composed of 47 action steps.

The task force worked with the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission over the last year and a half to create the original 73 action steps proposed in the plan. The task force then cut down the plan in three workshop sessions to include 47 action steps based on the categories of effectiveness, efficiency, equity, community, co-benefits and feasibility.

These action steps were created using data from the 2019 Biddeford greenhouse gas emission inventory; the task force’s vulnerability analysis of the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Kittery and Biddeford; advice from Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and infrastructure projects already in progress in Biddeford.

Another aspect that influenced the plan is Biddeford’s commitment to the Local Governments for Sustainability’s ‘Race to Zero’ initiative, which sets the goal for the town to be net-zero in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Biddeford joined the initiative in 2022, making it the first municipality in Maine to join the commitment.

The task force also relied on community input through the initial process, holding joint workshops with community groups, tabling at local events and conducting online surveys. As of July 26, the task force has started the second phase of community engagement, asking people if the proposed action steps measure up to expectations.

The action steps themselves encompass an array of public works and community issues to be faced in the next few years. Each action step is categorized under one of five focus areas: buildings and energy; transportation and infrastructure; land use and natural environment; health, safety and wellbeing; and leadership and support.

No concrete timeline is laid out about when each action step would be expected to be completed, but the action steps outline the creation of a myriad of programs and initiatives supporting the town’s preparedness for climate change. Most notably, the action plan calls for the creation of a climate commission comprised of members of the community as well as an office of sustainability for the town with a paid sustainability coordinator, both of which would be tasked with coordinating the implementation of this plan.

Following a period of public input that ended on Aug. 14, the task force continues honing the climate action plan before presenting it to the town council for initial approval. If approved, the proposed plan will continue to be reviewed and revised every five years to update the goals.

“Progress to the plan will need to be completely transparent to all members of the community,” Climate Change Task Force Chair Steve Reiter said. “It will need to be tracked to a timeline with targets and milestones to the end goal that the city of Biddeford has already signed up to as part of the ICLEI ‘Race to Zero’ partnership.”

Further action on the climate plan won’t occur until the plan is passed through the town council, but the task force will hold another workshop to refine the plan and include public opinions and revisions.