This commentary is by Neale Lunderville, president and CEO of Vermont Gas Systems. In the immediate aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene, he was Vermont’s Irene Recovery Officer. He has also served in various state and municipal roles, including as leader of the Burlington Electric Department, and is a member of the board of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the parent organization of VTDigger.
Ten years ago, in late August 2011, Tropical Storm Irene crashed into the Green Mountains and shattered the myth that Vermont was safe from climate change.
The severe weather, fires and droughts that we’ve experienced in the decade since remind us Irene was not a one-off event. Climate change is real, and the outlook is getting worse. This is confirmed by the recent report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which found “human influence has warmed the climate at a rate that is unprecedented in at least the last 2000 years.” That’s why Vermont Gas Systems is moving forward with a plan — and a new approach — to transform our energy system to lead in the fight against climate change.
The first step is to tell Vermonters about why we need to change. For VGS’s history, we have served customers with fossil fuel. When natural gas came to Vermont, it was viewed as an efficient form of energy that was cleaner than oil, cheaper than propane, and safely delivered directly to your home. All of this remains true, but these benefits come with greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change — a fact we acknowledge and are determined to address.
At VGS, we’re actively working to cut greenhouse gas emissions and we’re already making progress toward our goal. Our climate plan is built around an immediate need to reduce emissions by as much as 40 percent in the decade ahead, in line with Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions Act, and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
We’re backing our bold commitment with significant investments to reimagine what a natural gas utility can be, and how we can help Vermonters take advantage of new, state-of-the-art technologies to optimize home heating and cooling. We must continue to serve customers safely and reliably throughout this century, but with sustainable energy that supports the long-term health of our community and our planet.
We are proud to partner with forward-looking organizations and policymakers to advance meaningful climate policy. Together, we’re building a blueprint to weatherize homes and keep pace with our thermal goals — because the cleanest energy is the energy you never need to use. We’re collaborating on a Clean Heat Standard that will revolutionize how we curb emissions and keep costs down for working families. Simply put, we’re at the table as a force for positive change and to model the power of partnership to create progress.
To do this, we’re pioneering new technologies to create homegrown energy made right here in Vermont. In July, we partnered with Vanguard Renewables, Middlebury College, and the Goodrich family to launch the Northeast’s largest anaerobic digester at the Goodrich Family Farm in Salisbury, Vermont. This multigeneration dairy farm now processes manure and local food waste to generate enough renewable natural gas for thousands of VGS customers. In addition to many local economic and clean water benefits, the renewable natural gas produced in Salisbury has a significant climate benefit by capturing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, before it’s released into the atmosphere.
The Goodrich Family Farm digester is the first star in a constellation of VGS projects that will provide homegrown energy to Vermonters. We want to capture renewable natural gas from other farms, use waste heat for district energy systems, create carbon-neutral hydrogen from excess solar and wind power, and serve all that clean heat to our customers in place of fossil fuels.
This isn’t just VGS’s work. We believe Vermonters will light the sky with clean energy projects and guide a nation to meet our shared climate goals.
When people ask how our state will achieve its clean energy transformation, I find myself thinking of the challenges we’ve faced together. When Tropical Storm Irene struck a decade ago, it took teamwork and ingenuity to clear the rubble and reopen our state. We feel the same spirit in Vermont’s best-in-the-nation response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The darkest hours bring out the best in Vermonters.
Through the lens of these disasters, we see a powerful lesson to prevent an even bigger catastrophe. By working arm-in-arm to help neighbors in need, we can achieve real progress and make lasting change for the better. It’s the reason why we’re going all-in to make VGS a leader to help solve our climate challenge. It’s why stakeholders who might have once sat at opposite ends of the table are finding common purpose and building common goals. And it’s why we must keep moving forward.
