Gov. Peter Shumlin told reporters on Monday “it’s too early to say” whether he favors the construction of a high voltage transmission line from Canada through Vermont to southern New England, but he hasn’t ruled out the idea.
Shumlin suggested that Vermont, or another state, could “negotiate a preferential price in exchange for hosting that corridor.”
“Canada has cheap renewable hydro power that can work as a reliable load (power) when the wind isn’t blowing, and the sun isn’t shining, and we have no comprehensive plan for getting that juice to the New England market,” Shumlin said.
Shumlin made the remarks in a telephone conference call with reporters on Monday during a three-day conference Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers.
Shumlin told the press that the regional leaders are interested in pursuing a study to determine where best to locate a transmission corridor. Provincial premiers want to sell excess power from Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, to metropolitan areas in southern New England. A representative from ISO New England, a regional transmission utility, attended the conference.
Vermont negotiated a long-term power agreement with Hydro-Quebec last year.
In addition, two Canadian firms, Fortis, Inc., and Gaz Metro, recently bid on the state’s largest utility, Central Vermont Public Service.
Shumlin fielded questions from reporters about whether he had been attempting to persuade CVPS board members to accept the offer from Gaz Metro, which already owns Vermont Gas Systems and Green Mountain Power, the second biggest electric company in the state.
“We’re not lobbying, we’re just answering questions when we’re asked,” Shumlin said.
The governor said his administration has been in communication with CVPS board members.
“When they have questions we have to answer them — we have nothing to hold back,” Shumlin said. “They want to know of these two offers which looks better.”
Shumlin, for his part, makes no bones about which offer he believes is preferable: Gaz Metro’s.
“Right now I understand the stockholders of CVPS went to bed on Friday night of Memorial Day weekend (and on Monday they woke up) $150 million richer,” Shumlin said. “That’s true under either deal, but I have yet to see what the Fortis deal does for Vermonters.
Shumlin pointed to the purported $149 million in savings from the consolidation of Green Mountain Power and CVPS over 10 years and the 30 percent stake Vermont would gain in VELCO as examples of givebacks Gaz Metro would promise ratepayers.
As for job losses in Rutland? “The best way to create jobs is to have lower power costs. No doubt about that in my mind,” Shumlin said. “It gives us a manufacturing advantage. In terms of job creation, you can’t find a better job creator than low power rates.”
Shumlin also announced that next year’s meeting of governors and premiers will be held in Burlington. Previous conferences have been held at Basin Harbor and Sugarbush resorts.
Sturgeon caught and killed on Otter Creek
Just 50 years ago, sturgeon in Lake Champlain were plentiful enough to support a commercial fishery.
Today, lake sturgeon are an endangered species, thanks to overfishing, lake pollution, dams on the many tributaries that feed into the big lake. The catches dropped, the fishery closed and the sturgeon was listed as endangered in Vermont.
Part of the problem, too, is the reproductive pattern of this ancient fish, which has remained unchanged since prehistoric times and like sharks they have cartilage instead of bones. Sturgeon can live a long time – 50 to 70 years – but that’s a disadvantage when it comes to reproduction. It takes about 15 to 20 years for sturgeon to reach the age of sexual maturity, and its favored egg-laying spots – rivers and streams – are often obstacle courses for the big fish.
That’s why when an angler caught and killed a sturgeon on the Otter Creek July Fourth weekend, the act shocked Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists.
“It’s the first incident I’ve heard of where someone deliberately caught kept and killed a sturgeon in last 20 years,” said Eric Palmer, director of fisheries for the department.
It’s a crime to catch, keep and kill an endangered species. Two game wardens are investigating the crime, which comes with a $1,800 fine.
“That may seem like a lot of money for some people, but in other states … deliberately killing an endangered species leads to the confiscation of equipment, boats, trucks and trailers,” Palmer said.
To telecommute or not telecommute, that may be the question
Last spring, the Legislature asked the agencies of transportation and of human services along with the Department of Buildings and General services to analyze how telecommuting would impact state workers. Technological advances make the idea of telecommuting more of a reality, especially with the advent of federally funded broadband projects under way in Vermont.
Mike Obuchowski, commissioner of the Buildings and General Services, said there are a number of logistical issues to work through including workers compensation, computer security and so on, but once broadband is available, “it’ll make more sense to do it than not do it,” Obuchowski said.
Kate Duffy, commissioner of the Department of Human Resources, said telecommuting is an attractive idea to workers.
“One thing we’re hearing is a potential boost in recruiting and keeping employees,” Duffy said.
According to Obuchowski, telecommuting could work with certain jobs but not others. It’s easier for an employee whose work can be done via computer to telecommute than it is for the snowplow driver. The other issue is monitoring: Employees working from home need to find enough quiet time to get quality work done. Employers need to find a way to measure productivity.
The three state agencies met last week. They are to report to the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions, as well as the Senate Institutions Committee no later than Jan. 15, 2012.
Editor’s note: Eli Sherman contributed to this report.
