Representatives from Boston-based climate solutions nonprofit HEET, and Framingham’s Networked Geothermal Pilot Project met with Newton’s Public Facilities Committee Wednesday to discuss geothermal energy options for the city.

On a warm morning last August, a small crew of construction workers drove a 30-foot-tall drill through the surface of a parking lot in Framingham. As the drill bit, which was cooled by a steady stream of water, broke through the asphalt and ground through the rocky subsurface, it sent a stream of mud spewing from the hole.

With the help of a $50,000 grant, the town will explore the feasibility of a geothermal heating and cooling system for the proposed town campus project.

The Town of Arlington has won a $50,000 grant to evaluate potential sites for a networked geothermal project, according to a news release from the town's Department of Planning and Community Development.

A divided state commission is calling for more aggressive steps to shift Massachusetts away from its reliance on natural gas for energy, but it’s not clear if state lawmakers will take up any of the proposed changes.

To meet net-zero emissions goals, many jurisdictions are starting to ban fossil fuel heating. That's a big challenge for gas utilities, which is why some have responded by fighting the bans, both in Canada and the U.S. But a few are trying to evolve and transition into a new business that takes advantage of some of their existing skills and expertise — namely, geothermal (also known as geoexchange) heating and cooling networks, a form of district heating.