Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter has offered an energy plan that calls for further investment in green energy production in Vermont to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate jobs.
Her two-pronged approach sets the goals of reducing peak electricity demand in the state by 10 percent over five years and cutting carbon pollution emitted through transportation.
In her proposal to cut Vermont’s peak energy use — when grid operators bring dirtier energy sources online to meet demand — Minter looks to home efficiency, solar power and better energy storage as solutions.
Although Minter’s proposal offers incentives to well-sited solar projects, her energy plan has no mention of wind projects.
Molly Ritner, a campaign spokeswoman, said Minter believes wind should remain a part of Vermont’s energy portfolio. Acknowledging the controversy over large-scale projects, Ritner said Minter supported S.260, legislation recently signed into law that imposes tougher sound standards on wind turbines and gives towns a greater say over where renewable projects are built.
Minter said Tuesday that wind was “a part of the mix” and was needed to meet Vermont’s goal of getting 90 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2050.
“I think it’s important we set a goal,” she said. “For me, climate change is the challenge of our generation. If we aren’t setting goals and measuring our progress, we will be turning a blind eye to a problem that is severe across our nation and around the globe.”
Minter’s second initiative deals with the pollution created in traveling the state, which accounts for 45 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont.
Minter proposed folding transportation-related pollution into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, under which Vermont sells carbon allowances to other states. The state uses the money for investment in green energy, and Minter said some of the money could go to rail service, public transit and more plug-in electric vehicle infrastructure.
Minter began talking to other New England states about the idea when she was transportation secretary, Ritner said.
