Vermont gets 20 percent “guarantee” for its share of landfill
The Texas Low-level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission approved a new rule on Tuesday that will allow entities from 36 states access to a landfill for waste that was originally set up exclusively for Texas and Vermont.
Read the story that appeared on National Public Radio.
The commission also passed an amendment requiring that Vermont’s 20 percent share of the landfill space be guaranteed.
Sarah Hoffman, staff attorney for the Vermont Department of Public Service, said Vermont’s two commissioners, Uldis Vanags and Steve Wark, proposed the amendment.
Details of the amendment and the proposal were not available Tuesday night. VTDigger.org will follow up as information becomes available Wednesday.
Rep. Tony Klein, D-Plainfield, chair of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee, said he’s concerned about the timing. “If it’s the way they say it is, then why the rush?” Klein said. “I’m disappointed that the Douglas administration didn’t have enough respect for Peter Shumlin to wait. Two days wouldn’t have killed anybody.”
Back inside the Golden Bubble
The White Rabbit would have been right at home at the Statehouse on Tuesday. The harried bustle in the marble-floored halls has begun again.
Several dozen lawmakers, many of whom are in the running for committee chairmanships, walked up and down the stairs rushing from one appointment to the next. House Speaker Shap Smith and leaders of the Democratic caucus finalized committee assignments; soon-to-be Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell ran from meeting to meeting, and in the space of an hour had seven voice mails waiting for him on his cell phone; lobbyists were canvassing the cafeteria for politicos to chat up; and construction workers were moving paint cans and other materials out of newly renovated House committee rooms.
The fray begins in earnest on Wednesday when the House of Representatives and the Senate convene for the first time this session. Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie will call the Senate back to order; Secretary of State Deb Markowitz will begin the House proceedings. The General Assembly will formally elect the Speaker of the House (Democrat Shap Smith was nominated last month) and the Senate President Pro Tem (Democrat John Campbell was chosen by his peers in December).
By lunchtime, House members will get the final word on their committee assignments.
Pomp and circumstance under the Golden Bubble is part of the museum-like charm of the Statehouse, and it’s often leavened by press conferences and protests, and the first day of the 2011 session will be no exception. On Wednesday there will be dueling noontime protests – a homeless vigil on the steps of the Statehouse and a Health Care is a Human Right Rally in the Cedar Creek Room.
At 2 p.m., Gov. Jim Douglas will give his farewell address, and the House Chamber, which accommodates 500 people in a pinch, is expected to be packed.
But if the farewell speech crowd is enough to give you agoraphobia, don’t even think about attending the inaugural address at 2 p.m. Thursday. In addition to the 150 House members, 30 senators and their families who will occupy the main area of the House floor, expect to see lots of Shumlin supporters on the scene, in the galleries.
If you happen to be a member of the General Assembly, count yourself lucky. Originally, the “Celebrate Vermont” inaugural committee wanted to offer ticketed seating on a first-come, first-serve basis, to ensure that there was plenty of space for Shumlin’s fans. That idea, however, was a no go. Once legislators heard about the proposal, the ticket idea went out the window. Expect to see a lot of seats reserved in advance.
Because of the size of the anticipated crowd, there will be a live stream of Shumlin’s speech, compliments of Vermont Public Television posted on screens set up in the “overflow” area, Rooms 10 and 11. The speech will also be broadcast live on VPT.
The inaugural bash is Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Sugarbush Resort.
Tickets, available through Flynntix, cost $53.25, $103.25 and $253.25. All proceeds go to the Vermont National Guard Charitable Fund.
While other lawmakers may be breaking early for the big bash, several committees, House Appropriations, House Health Care, and House Commerce and Economic Development will be getting an early jump on their respective areas of policy expertise Friday afternoon.
The Senate will announce final committee assignments on Friday.
Two new House committee chairs
The speaker’s office has confirmed that all House committee chairs will remain the same with the exception of two committees.
Rep. Janet Ancel, D-Calais, will be named chair of House Ways and Means, becoming the first woman to lead the powerful tax policy committee.
Ancel has had many hats over the years: legislative council, governor’s counsel, commissioner of taxes, and, finally, vice chair of Ways and Means.
Smith said Ancel has the “breadth and depth of experience in and out of the Legislature to lead the committee.”
She replaces Rep. Michael “Obie” Obuchowski, D-Rockingham, the former longtime chair of Ways and Means, who has been named commissioner of Buildings and General Services.
“The House has a lot of talent and has a lot of good people — we’ll be just fine, but it isn’t every day you lose somebody with 38 years experience,” Smith said of Obuchowski. “He was the longest running member of the House.”
The speaker said he will miss Obie. “(His) influence on the House can’t be overstated,” Smith said. “He was deeply connected to most of the members.”
“He (also) had a breadth and depth of experience no one else in the House had, and it will also be really missed,” Smith said. “He had the ability to work with people of different political persuasions and different geographical areas to find common ground, and he was good at it. There were certain things he could be a little unbending on. He was very good at what he did.”
Rep. Mark Larson, D-Burlington, will chair the House Health Care Committee. Steve Maier, the former chairman, resigned last year. Smith said Larson has been “intimately involved in details of the health care budget and understands Medicaid and Medicare and the inner workings of the health care system.”
Teleprompter redux
Gov.-elect Peter Shumlin is renowned for his extemporaneous oratory, but in honor of the inauguration, he will get a little help from a teleprompter.
Bianca Slota, formerly of WCAX Television and now Shumlin’s press secretary, said the teleprompter was necessary because “it’s such a long speech, and he wants to have it there in front of him.”
The device, an “executive” teleprompter on loan from the Rule Boston Camera, is about the size of a large computer monitor.
The speech is running 30 minutes long – so far.
