Wayland Energy Committee urges Select Board to pull solar bylaw from spring warrant

WAYLAND — February 12, 2026 — Wayland Energy and Climate Committee votes 4-0 to ask the Select Board to pull a ground-mounted solar bylaw from the 2026 town meeting warrant. Vice Chair Neil Gordon's motion, backed by Chair Ellen Tohn and members Tom Sciacca and Steve Garone, says the town should wait for state regulations promulgating March 1, taking effect July 1, with local compliance required by October 1. Sustainability Manager Julie Gagen said the Planning Board's draft, which sizes projects by acreage, conflicts with the state's megawatt-based model bylaw — "you can't go from acreage to megawatts." Sciacca framed the dispute as "lack of communication," not bad faith. The committee also signaled it will drop the 100 percent green and standard green tiers from Wayland Power Choice when the aggregation contract renews by Feb. 24, affecting roughly 130 of 4,000 accounts, and is racing a Feb. 13 deadline on a roughly $2 million Green School Works grant to electrify Wayland Middle School systems.