West Newbury Has Been Designated A Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Community.

As an MVP Community, the Town is eligible to apply for MVP Action Grants administered by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and may receive increased standing in future state funding opportunities, allowing West Newbury to pursue implementation of priority actions identified in the MVP Final Report. The 2020 round awarded over $10 million in Action Grants, including $1 million to Newburyport for "Resilient Critical Infrastructure: Adapting a Wastewater Treatment Facility, Underground Electric Lines, and Public Rail Trail to Future Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge," $250,000 to Salisbury for "Resilient Rings Island: Preventing a Neighborhood from Being Stranded by Flooding," and $129,693 to Haverhill for "Little River Dam Removal Feasibility Study."

West Newbury's MVP Community designation represents the culmination of its $25,000 grant, received in 2019, to participate in the state’s  Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness  program, allowing the Town to begin the process of planning for climate change resiliency. Working Group participants conducted a Town survey, interviewed key stakeholders, reviewed data, and completed a vulnerability assessment. In an all day Workshop conducted on February 29, 2020, a wide range of stakeholders identified vulnerabilities and prioritized issues and actions the Town may take to mitigate climate change impacts. This culminated with a Final Report and a Listening Session.