Short video hits of Vt. League of Conservation Voters gubernatorial debate, clip by clip
It’s not clear yet what will distinguish any one candidate from another in the 2010 governor’s race, given the general agreement on issues among the pack of five Democrats so far and the extremely cordial kickoff debate held by the Vermont League of Conservation Voters in Burlington last night. Lieutenant governor and gubernatorial candidate Brian Dubie didn’t attend the event.
Two and a half weeks ago, Vtdigger.org reported that each of the five Democrats had made a commitment to close Vermont Yankee. Last night, Secretary of State Deb Markowitz, Sen. Susan Bartlett, Sen. Doug Racine, Senate President Peter Shumlin and former Sen. Matt Dunne reiterated the reasons why they believe the nuclear power plant should be shut down in 2012. They also agreed that the Act 250 permitting system has flaws, but vowed to keep the goals of the law intact; they vehemently supported the state’s affordable housing and conservation programs; and they each voiced concern about wastewater and stormwater pollution.
Should Vermont Yankee be shut down in 2012? The candidates say yes
The sound bites
Racine: “Entergy has given me no confidence that they are operating Yankee safely and that’s a bottom line issue for me.”
Shumlin: “How many people have been told that we need this cheap power. If it’s so cheap, why won’t they tell us what the price will be?”
Dunne: “Every day goes by that we are not clear about what we’re going to do about Vermont Yankee is simply irresponsible.”
Markowitz: “Vermont Yankee is not part of our energy future. Our future rests with local renewable energy and efficiency.”
Bartlett: “Our future is in renewable energy. Every year Vermonters send out of state $1 billion. That’s basically the size of our General Fund budget, just think if we kept half that — $500 million a year in state.”
Answers to questions about Act 250, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Board and water pollution follow.
Does Act 250 need to be changed?
The sound bites
Dunne: “We need to make sure that important laws like Act 250 are not the scapegoats for the fact that we have not had an economic development plan in this state for the last eight years. That doesn’t mean we can’t make changes to Act 250 to make it better.” Dunne is calling for a more predictable and transparent permitting process. He would make redevelopment of brownfields a priority.
Markowitz: “What I’ve heard is that it isn’t the standards aren’t the problem with Act 250, it’s really the process. Folks want a thumbs up or thumbs down. We have to look at the bureaucracy of the Agency of Natural Resources.” Markowitz says ANR has “lost its way.”
Racine: “Act 250 works. Are there shortcomings? Yes. Can we make it better? Yes. But to me it’s about management, it’s about having a governor who’s committed to a clean environment and who is committed to making the system work and who is committed to not letting flaws in the system become excuses to diminish our environmental protections.”
Bartlett: “What’s wrong with the permit process? It’s too long, it’s too difficult for citizens to be involved. The fundamental flaw in attempts at permit reform has been the failure to integrate the 40-50 permits ANR issues. Act 250 needs to be simple, fast and affordable.”
Shumlin: “Act 250 has served us well, and the reason we don’t have the problems of Las Vegas and Miami and the rest is because we don’t speculate here. We have a process that allows us to plan.” The Douglas administration, George Crombie and the rest have almost single-handedly destroyed environmental protection in this state.”
Would you continue to fund the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board?
The sound bites
Markowitz: “These are investments that pay back in our communities. We can think of it as our permanent stimulus fund.”
Bartlett: “It’s great economic development.” Bartlett says she would use bonded dollars to fund VHCB investments.
Racine: “We would have to go to the Capital Bill to fund it. Businesses make investments even when times are tough. It’s only at their peril that they ignore making investments. And the state is no different.”
Shumlin: “The Douglas administration will propose not to do conservation in tough economic times.” Shumlin says land conservation is even more important than ever with the onset of global warming.
Dunne: “It’s important to stay focused on this longterm goal.” Dunne’s father helped to found the Vermont Land Trust.
How would you protect Vermont’s waterways from stormwater pollution?
The sound bites
Bartlett: “We have failed to implement this (stormwater) policy for at least the last 10 years. … There are inexpensive easy ways to mitigate stormwater.”
Racine: “I would start by enforcing our existing laws. I would address suburban sprawl and work with communities that are addressing make sure taking maximum advantage of visionary laws and programs with downtowns and growth centers as a way of targeting development.”
Dunne: “Developers who are trying to cutting corners and adding to pollution (should) pay for it.”
Markowitz: “One of the major contributors to pollution is government.”
Shumlin: “The tension between dairy farmers and businesses has to end. Farmers don’t want to be polluting the resources precious to Vermont, so the question is, how do we give them the tools to make sure they’re not polluting the streams.”
The candidate’s pitches
The sound bites
Markowitz: We’ve been offered a false choice by Jim Douglas and the Republicans that every time we choose the environment, we’re doing it at the expense of the economy.
Bartlett: “This election is going to be about government learning how to restructure itself, how we offer as government the services people need in a better, faster, more efficient manner.”
Racine: “Climate change is the biggest threat to the human race and our planet since the dawn of the nuclear age. Vermont can take the lead, has taken the lead and should continue to lead.”
Shumlin: “As we as a society get off our addiction to oil and move to renewable energy technology, there’s going to be a huge economic boom created. This transformation is going to affect everything that we do, how we move around, how we produce our food, how we build our homes.”
Dunne: “In order to turn this economic corner and to be a leader in the country in terms of green jobs, we must be a leader in the environmental movement.”
