NEWBURYPORT - The city announced yesterday it is one of 103 Massachusetts cities and towns to receive a planning assistance grant from the Green Communities Program from state Department of Energy Resources.

The grant will help communities like Newburyport take the necessary steps to becoming official Green Communities by providing free technical assistance to reach a set of pre-written standards.

Once earning Green Community status, Newburyport will be eligible for further green energy funding from the Green Communities Act, energy reform legislation to help municipalities cut energy bills by providing assistance to invest in energy efficiency and renewable power.

To qualify for the grant, Mayor John Moak was required to submit a letter committing to meet all five Green Communities benchmarks within one year.

The five requirements are:

* Adopt local zoning bylaw or ordinance that allows "as-of-right-siting" of renewable energy projects;

* Adopt an expedited permitting process related to the as-of-right facilities;

* Establish a municipal energy use baseline and establish a program designed to reduce baseline use by 20 percent within five years;

* Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles for municipal use (whenever vehicles are commercially available and practicable);

* Require all new residential construction over 3,000 square feet and all new commercial and industrial real estate construction to reduce life-cycle energy costs.

Yesterday, the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce hosted Joanne Bissetta, Northeast Regional Coordinator from DOER's Green Communities Division, and Molly Ettenborough, the city's recycling coordinator, at its monthly breakfast forum series to discuss this program.