As lawmakers and Gov. Phil Scott headed into the legislative session, whether energy policy passed in recent years would be repealed or rolled back was a key storyline and still is.Gov. Scott doubled down on his energy plan Wednesday afternoon, as crossover approaches on Friday. “Vermonters will see an 18% rise in electricity rates in the next 5 years, this is without accounting for any tariff driven costs,” said Kerrick Johnson, the Commissioner of the Dept. of Public Service. The Scott Administration said their plan saves up to $20 million over the next ten years, and their “Clean Energy Standard” includes energy like nuclear, unlike last year’s Renewable Energy Standard. “The issue here is carbon free sources like nuclear and sometime hydro not being considered renewable, 20% of our current electricity needs are met through nuclear energy,” Johnson said. Around a hundred people gathered Wednesday to show their support for a bill to repeal the Clean Heat Standard, one of the most controversial bills passed in the last few years. It was if not the most, close, to the biggest rally around a single topic this session in Montpelier. “They want to drive up the costs, while they’ve driven and are still driving up the cost of heating our homes in a state where winter isn’t just a season, it’s our lives half the time,” said one speaker JT Dodge.Others throughout the day said with weather disasters seen in Vermont and nationwide, it’s only more reason to continue on the path of strict carbon emission deadlines.“How about instead we focus on how Vermont can benefit economically from some great news, the new clean energy economy is booming across the country and it will continue to boom,” said Dan Quinland of the Vermont Climate Health Alliance. Also, that Vermont has been a leader when it comes to clean energy policy can should continue to do so. “We cannot cede out leadership that we have shown adopting these policies that others are looking at and taking up. We’re joining with others to make the forward progress we all know needs to be made, lets do it,” said Viginia Clarke. Whether or not lawmakers make these suggested changes is yet to be seen but there is a hearing on the governors bill Thursday.
As lawmakers and Gov. Phil Scott headed into the legislative session, whether energy policy passed in recent years would be repealed or rolled back was a key storyline and still is.
Gov. Scott doubled down on his energy plan Wednesday afternoon, as crossover approaches on Friday.
“Vermonters will see an 18% rise in electricity rates in the next 5 years, this is without accounting for any tariff driven costs,” said Kerrick Johnson, the Commissioner of the Dept. of Public Service.
The Scott Administration said their plan saves up to $20 million over the next ten years, and their “Clean Energy Standard” includes energy like nuclear, unlike last year’s Renewable Energy Standard.
“The issue here is carbon free sources like nuclear and sometime hydro not being considered renewable, 20% of our current electricity needs are met through nuclear energy,” Johnson said.
Around a hundred people gathered Wednesday to show their support for a bill to repeal the Clean Heat Standard, one of the most controversial bills passed in the last few years. It was if not the most, close, to the biggest rally around a single topic this session in Montpelier.
“They want to drive up the costs, while they’ve driven and are still driving up the cost of heating our homes in a state where winter isn’t just a season, it’s our lives half the time,” said one speaker JT Dodge.
Others throughout the day said with weather disasters seen in Vermont and nationwide, it’s only more reason to continue on the path of strict carbon emission deadlines.
“How about instead we focus on how Vermont can benefit economically from some great news, the new clean energy economy is booming across the country and it will continue to boom,” said Dan Quinland of the Vermont Climate Health Alliance.
Also, that Vermont has been a leader when it comes to clean energy policy can should continue to do so.
“We cannot cede out leadership that we have shown adopting these policies that others are looking at and taking up. We’re joining with others to make the forward progress we all know needs to be made, lets do it,” said Viginia Clarke.
Whether or not lawmakers make these suggested changes is yet to be seen but there is a hearing on the governors bill Thursday.