This commentary is by Jeremy Ayotte, a resident of Fletcher.
Congratulations, Vermont: We are No. 1. We are now considered by most as the greenest state in America.
Even with so much of an honor, at what cost do we allow ourselves to be manipulated by an industry whose goal is to destroy ways of lives and manipulate efficiency and green energy for capital?
Why, only look north to realize what economic and environmental impact of a green economy with no logging can produce. Even though some of the fires were caused by arson, they are raging out of control by neglect of a forest management program.
Unfortunately, in Vermont we’re heading in the same direction, I fear. It seems we’re keeping our forest as an environmental tool for carbon instead of properly maintaining our natural resource by properly harvesting.
We should consider the environment for animals, for nature and for the management that may decrease the cause of tremendous wildfires. No matter how much carbon you want to remove from the air, if you don’t have a proper management program, you’re possibly increasing the chance of wildfires, which increase the carbon that’s going into the atmosphere.
Counterproductive, some may say.
Then there’s the “minor issue” with the federal government continuing to reprioritize promises that were made in regard to the refuge over in the Northeast Kingdom. In 2021, the refuge made significant changes without any scientific basis or public process, completely ignoring the legal obligation to the public under the Administrative Procedures Act, in my opinion.
Instead of allowing Vermont to institute the laws of our land and how we would like to use our public land, the federal government knows best and has greatly inflicted further economic hardship on a certain population that relies on the bounty and opportunities that lives within the refuge.
My first time going to the refuge was an experience in itself. I have never been to that area before. I was blown away by the beauty. As I got to the refuge welcome center, there was a hen turkey on the right hand side of the road. I parked there for a while with my beagles in the back and watched the turkey. After a while, the turkey went into the softwoods and I pulled out and continued down the road to find the left-hand turn to take me into the grounds.
As I got out of the vehicle, I was completely shocked as in the distance I could hear a coyote howling at 8 o’clock in the morning. Shortly after that, another went off. I sat there silently, feeling the hair on the back of my neck rise. I had pure excitement from this experience.
My dogs were bred for this moment. The crisp white snow was being borne by the sun as it came over the trees. They existed for this moment, the clear pleasure of having the snow touch their ears and the balance in their pursuit as they chase the hare in a circle until it stops.
There’s something about being out there with your beard covered in a white frost listening to the environment around you as they enjoy life. These are the moments that will live on forever in the memories of those who have had the opportunities to hunt/train in this area with companions. However, these moments have been greatly reduced because of limits that have been placed on, without, in my opinion, a proper procedure.
With our new energy policy set forth this year and other recent legislative terms have led to or will lead to increased productivity in the energy credit market. Vermont is so green, we can’t use our energy credits. Act 250, development review boards, hardly any manufacturing allows us to sell these credits to other states.
Then include the solar movement, where traditional hayfields have become nothing more than an opportunity for the environment green credits.
Here is the issue for me. This allows states to use our energy credits to continue to pollute without issue because they are buying others’ credits. A state succeeds and fulfills economic needs for the people while another state suffers economically at the sake of another state’s success in continuation of pollution.
We need to rethink our environmental priorities in Vermont. We need more independent-thinking individuals with no loyalty to political ideology. We need critical thinkers, not people that just rubber stamp what leaders want.
