Editor’s note: This commentary is by Kate Logan, the director of programming and policy for Rights & Democracy, Vermont, and John McCormick, a member of the Bristol Energy Committee.
July was a record hottest month. 2018 was the fourth hottest ever recorded. The warmest 18 years occurred since 2001. This is not weather; it’s a new human-induced global warming not experienced in human history with the highest carbon dixoide levels in 800,000 years. Vermont’s average May rainfall has been 3 inches. This May measured 9 inches, in shorter, intense bursts. Maybe a new normal?
Our children are demanding we save their future. Others aware of our climate emergency are likewise demanding we do something now. Reducing carbon fuels consumption is doing something necessary and it directly and indirectly benefits Vermonters.
Lowering Vermont’s carbon footprint will not prevent global warming, but it sets the tone for what’s possible. It also puts money back into the local economy that otherwise leaves the state when we buy heating oil and gasoline.
In his 2020 budget address, Gov. Phil Scott advocated for a mass transition to electric vehicles which would save drivers millions of dollars: “In 2015, approximately $830 million was spent on gasoline sales in Vermont. If this travel had all been powered by electricity, the cost would’ve been significantly less, saving drivers more than $500 million.” And, he recognizes that electric vehicles are essential to meeting Vermont’s climate and energy goals.
The governor called for 10% of Vermont’s half million cars and trucks to be electric by 2025, and 25% by 2030.
Vermont dealers sell about 40,000 new cars each year. A basic electric Nissan LEAF’s $30,000 sticker price is comparable to a 2019 Subaru Forester. State, electric utility and federal rebates can lower that EV price by nearly $10,000.
Federal tax credits range from $2,500 to $7,500. Burlington Electric Department is offering a $1,200 rebate on the purchase or lease of a new EV or plug-in hybrid EV priced at $50,000 or less. And, BED is working with Nissan to offer discounts up to $5,000 on a new 2019 LEAF to their customers. Green Mountain Power is offering incentives, including $1,500 for a new EV, $1,000 for a new plug-in hybrid, or $750 for a used EV or hybrid. It is also working with Nissan to offer its customers a $5,000 discount on a 2019 LEAF as is Vermont Public Power Supply Authority. Use this link to access incentives information and comparative costs of various EVs.
Scott addressed legislators, proposing $1.5 million in rebates to help more people purchase or lease new or used EVs, as well as $500,000 to invest in more EVs and EV infrastructure for the state fleet. It is a win-win situation, an uncommon opportunity for consensus and progress, or in Scott’s words, “another great area of balance, because meeting these targets isn’t just about making our state cleaner and healthier — it’s also about growing the economy.”
This transition will require a big investment in charging stations particularly in rural areas where EVs can make a positive difference in family budgets and provide more transit options. A 20 mpg car driven 12,000 miles will burn 600 gallons of gas, emit 5 tons of carbon dioxide and cost about $1,700 plus routine operating costs. Rural Vermonters drive more miles and have limited access to public transit. Focusing on them can make their lives more affordable when they have access to financial incentives.
Infrastructure and incentives costs can be covered by proceeds Vermont could receive from an innovative plan (Transportation and Climate Initiative — TCI) being considered by Scott and nine Northeastern governors, including Larry Hogan, Republican of Maryland, and Charlie Baker, Republican of Massachusetts. Combined gross domestic product of $4.13 trillion makes these states the fifth largest global economy.
TCI could slash transportation pollution 40% by 2030 by capping fuel emissions similar to the Vermont-participating Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. RGGI sets a declining cap on power plant emissions. Plants exceeding the cap purchase carbon allowances in an auction with revenues going toward states’ clean energy projects. This is the TCI model.
The governors will deliver a proposal to state legislatures, in January, for ratification and determining how revenue proceeds will be used. Our organizations are contacting Vermont’s rural and low-income communities to hear their concerns and needs which have not yet been a focus of TCI. No community should be left behind. TCI can yield positive environmental, health, and economic benefits for them. Their views will be delivered to the General Assembly’s Climate Solutions Caucus that is meeting before January.
Abraham Lincoln said: “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. Consequently, he who moulds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. He makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to be executed.”
Now is the time for elected leaders to unite Vermont and do something that benefits all of us.
