[A]rguing that the state is falling behind in its effort to combat climate change, activists are pushing to get the issue before Town Meeting Day voters this year.
The Burlington-based group 350Vermont says it has petitions underway in at least 30 towns to put a climate resolution on town meeting agendas.
Such resolutions won’t carry any legal weight. But 350Vermont representatives say they’re trying to drum up support for quicker action to curb fossil fuel use and boost renewable energy.
“People recognize that climate change is urgent and that our political leadership is falling short on solutions,” said Maeve McBride, 350Vermont director.
The resolution asks towns and the state to oppose new fossil fuel infrastructure, including gas pipelines. It also looks for new commitments on the shift to renewable energy.
Vermont’s comprehensive energy plan calls for renewable sources to meet 90 percent of the state’s energy needs by 2050. But 350Vermont says the state is not making enough progress toward that goal.
“We should have a lot more renewable energy infrastructure in place right now,” said Jaiel Pulskamp, a field organizer for the nonprofit. “So we’re falling behind.”
350Vermont also is pushing for steps like improving public transportation, offering more electric car charging stations and weatherizing more homes and buildings, Pulskamp said.
Those are among the recommendations proposed last month by Gov. Phil Scott’s Climate Action Commission.
The commission said the state “has been a national leader” in its efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. But it also noted that the most recent available data “suggests Vermont’s (greenhouse gas) emissions are higher than they were in 1990 and have ticked up in recent years.”
“Vermont has significant work left to do” to meet its renewable energy and greenhouse gas goals, the commission reported.
350Vermont wants to take that message to the municipal level.
The group says towns “from Arlington to Williston” may take up the climate change issue at town meeting this year, depending on the success of petition drives.
The declaration against new fossil fuel infrastructure is one element of the resolution. The group also wants a commitment to 90 percent renewable energy supplies “with firm interim deadlines” on the way to that goal, as well as an assurance that “the transition to renewable is fair and equitable for all Vermonters.”
Daniel Quipp, a coordinator with 350 Brattleboro, said hundreds of signatures have been gathered in an effort to have a resolution considered at Brattleboro’s town meeting. He’s also been active in other Windham County petition drives.
“I’m not 100 percent in favor of resolutions per se. I don’t think they’re necessarily the answer,” Quipp said. “But it’s another way to engage voters and keep this on the radar.”
Passage of a resolution could lead to deeper conversations with governing bodies, Quipp said. He also believes there’s value in gathering petition signatures, “because then you get to do some organizing work.”
“This is a way to get a wider group of people involved in municipal politics,” Quipp said.
