This commentary is by Ben Edgerly Walsh, climate and energy program director, Vermont Public Interest Research Group; along with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Vermont Natural Resources Council, Vermont Conservation Voters, Conservation Law Foundation, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and the Vermont chapter of the Sierra Club.
As the Vermont Legislature swings into gear, building a more just and affordable clean energy economy must be a top priority.
Leadership in the Vermont House and Senate, as well as the governor, have identified climate action as a key priority this year. They have recognized that Vermont has both a legal and moral obligation to cut climate pollution in an equitable way, and at a pace that recognizes the scale and severity of the climate emergency.
There is also an enormous opportunity to create thousands of good-paying union jobs and keep billions of dollars circulating in our local economies.
In 2020, the Vermont Legislature created the Climate Council, and required it to develop a Climate Action Plan. The initial plan was released in December 2021, and lays out a suite of investment and policy initiatives necessary to drive down climate pollution and meet our Global Warming Solutions Act targets; strengthen our communities’ resilience; and ensure equity is front and center in this work.
While the Climate Action Plan requires additional refinement and input — particularly from historically marginalized Vermonters — the Legislature has clear direction on what we need to do to transform our energy systems. With unprecedented federal funding available, we have a historic opportunity to get to work implementing the solutions laid out in the Climate Action Plan and help all Vermonters benefit from the clean energy economy. And with this evolving climate action blueprint for action, we now have the necessary barometer we’ve long needed to measure progress.
Here are the climate investments and policies that we must see action on in 2022:
- We must invest at least $150 million in climate initiatives this coming year.
This scale of investment is essential to help Vermonters and communities access more equitable and clean energy solutions. We must make long-overdue, historic investments in climate action, take full advantage of federal funding opportunities, invest in the capacity of state government and partner organizations, invest in grid modernization and electric service upgrades, and build the workforce necessary to transform our economy.
- We must adopt the Transportation Innovation Act.
By investing approximately $75 million above baseline annual spending in clean transportation solutions, we can and must help more Vermonters — particularly low- and moderate-income folks — access electric and higher-efficiency vehicles, strengthen programs and transportation networks to make it easier to get around without a vehicle, continue fare-free public transportation, and ultimately transition to a truly clean, ultra-low-carbon transportation system.
- We must enact an Environmental Justice law.
This bill would require state agencies to incorporate environmental justice into their work, establish an Advisory Council on Environmental Justice, and require the creation of an environmental justice mapping tool. This bill will be an important step toward achieving meaningful community engagement in environmental decisions — particularly among overburdened communities and vulnerable populations. We also must prioritize state investments in climate and the environment to these communities, and advance additional policies and investments being developed by Black, Indigenous and people of color leaders, including Green Justice Zones, the BIPOC Land Access and Opportunity Act, and other climate justice initiatives.
- We must advance clean, affordable and efficient heating solutions.
Advancing a Clean Heat Standard may be the single most impactful policy to reduce climate pollution in the Climate Action Plan. If it is designed to accurately and transparently reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it could be essential to transitioning our heating sector to clean, efficient, and affordable solutions. Simultaneously, we must incentivize electrification. As the state develops a Clean Heat Standard, we should provide additional incentives to help more people access technologies like cold climate heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.
- We must invest in Weatherization for All.
The Climate Council established a goal of weatherizing 90,000 additional homes over the next nine years. This will require a significant increase in funding for incentives for low- and moderate-income Vermonters, as well as workforce development. Further, the state should provide support and award grants and loans to municipalities to replace fossil fuel heating systems with low-carbon and efficient alternatives and improve their energy efficiency.
- We must update the Renewable Energy Standard.
To fully realize the benefits of a transformed energy economy, Vermont must overhaul our Renewable Energy Standard to significantly accelerate our transition to new renewable energy — especially renewables built right here in Vermont — phase out polluting energy sources, ensure greenhouse gas emissions are fully and accurately accounted for, ensure clean energy is accessible to all, and invest in energy storage and grid resilience.
- We must invest in workforce development for the clean energy sector.
By investing in programs now, we can build the workforce we will need to ramp up weatherization programs, upgrade electrical systems, install heat pumps and other clean heating solutions, and modernize our transportation system.
- We must maintain a resilient landscape and encourage smart growth development that supports housing and other projects in compact community centers while better protecting invaluable natural resources.
True climate action requires both smart growth development patterns and the resilience and long-term benefits of protecting our forests, wetlands, farms, and waters as core components of storing carbon, improving resilience to flooding, protecting communities from other extreme weather events, and more. Priority action steps this year should include investments and policies that encourage smart growth housing development while improving wetland and riparian protections, as well as implementing better forestland protections through land use policy (Act 250), updates to Current Use, landowner incentives, and robust funding and planning for land and water conservation.
Because of the dedicated work of so many Vermonters over the past year, we have a Climate Action Plan that lays out key strategies for creating healthier, more equitable and more resilient communities. The solutions identified above will be essential steps this year to keep our state on track to meet its climate commitments.
We stand ready to work alongside the Vermont Legislature to make these investments and enact the policies needed to build this brighter future for all.
