This commentary is by Paul Brouha, a Sutton resident and homeowner whose property abuts the Sheffield Wind Project.
[A] recent commentary entitled “Vermont’s Greenhouse Gas Mandate: Costly, Symbolic Environmentalism” on reducing Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions by Jonathan Lesser has been broadly disseminated by various Vermont media outlets.
Dr. Lesser, Ph.D., is president of Continental Economics and he makes the case that the numbers in the 2016 Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP) don’t add up. Couple Lesser’s analyses with the fact that Gov. Phil Scott’s newly appointed Climate Action Commission is conducting a “Listening Tour” around the state during the next month and Vermonters have a rare opportunity to meaningfully influence future energy goals and actions in Vermont.
We need to propose actions that will stimulate and improve our economic competitiveness while preserving the social fabric and environmental resiliency of our state. Vermont’s Green Mountains provide a uniquely beautiful place to live and grow our families — we need to ensure it stays that way! The commissioners are looking for good ideas for reducing Vermont’s total per capita energy use by more than one third and for obtaining 90 percent of our total energy from renewable sources by 2050. These may be good goals but Vermont “environmental organizations” are pressing to have them (and the CEP) codified in law to mandate expensive actions designed to leave us feeling great about saving our planet despite the facts (evidenced by Dr. Lesser) that demonstrate such actions taken by Vermont will yield no perceptible benefit and will damage our economy. We don’t need a new law.
We do need to turn out in force to propose sound strategies for reducing our energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (already among the lowest per capita in the nation) and for switching to renewables where we can do so cost effectively. If we can gain agreement on the concept nationally, even a carbon-tax should be considered.
It makes sense to increase the thermal efficiency of our older housing stock (many of our homes were built prior to 1940), to improve transportation efficiency and vehicle mileage, and, yes, to equitably share the cost with other users to build a reliable and cost-effective, distributed electricity grid in Vermont and throughout New England.
We in the Northeast Kingdom are already net exporters of renewable electric energy even without considering the huge output of local Connecticut River hydro-dams. This is great news — we are way ahead of the rest of Vermont and (thanks, in part, to Efficiency Vermont) our electricity usage is decreasing. The draft Northeastern Vermont Development Association energy plan details the Northeast Kingdom energy situation and proposes goals and strategies to address the CEP goals (proposed as Chapter 2 of the regional plan). Further, it proposes a menu of ways the Northeast Kingdom (and all Vermont) towns can improve their municipal plans to include actionable energy sections that will benefit each one of us. It is here and is well worth reading and heeding. What it makes clear is no new industrial-scale energy development in the Northeast Kingdom is needed. Let’s plan and create our own energy future!
Still, the Climate Action Commission wants specific, actionable ideas presented at their listening sessions. I attended their Sept. 13 listening session in St. Johnsbury and proposed that:
• Utilities need to work with our newly renamed Public Utility Commission to access more renewable base-load Canadian wind and hydro-power energy using the Sheffield/Highgate Export Interface or the planned high voltage lines transiting Vermont, like the Granite State Power Link and the TDI-Clean Power Link;
• Our neighbors in Chittenden County need to lobby their municipalities for the Lake Champlain Wind Park. It provides great benefits for them — it is near their electricity usage load center (Burlington), the transmission grid is not constrained in that area, it visibly meets the environmental aspirations of Chittenden County residents, it has a great wind resource blowing across the lake, and it avoids private property concerns because it is in state waters. I feel sure we can muster NEK support for their project.
