Dear Editor,
There is no question that the House did indeed do great work on the data center bill, H.727, ensuring strong protections for the environment, communities and ratepayers via joint jurisdiction between Act 250 and the Public Utility Commission.
The Senate further tightened up the language and improved the House version to help guarantee the law would protect Vermont from a data center’s massive and often devastating impact. Then the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee added an “extraction of cash” payment and created a loophole for water pollution. This is where it went wrong.
After the House and Senate committees heard testimony from the Department of Public Service and the Land Use Review Board on these major flaws, they failed to make corrections. The DPS made it clear it could not support the bill with this extortion payment language, and the Land Use Review Board found it unacceptable that its Act 250 process for regulating water discharges was bypassed.
These were well-defined issues that required resolution. The committees developing H.727 were well aware of them. Two key stakeholders raised legitimate, timely concerns on the Senate version of the bill. Leadership did not address these identified issues in the data center bill, which resulted in a detrimental bill landing on the governor’s desk.
Understandably, VPIRG and many Vermonters, including Vermonters for a Clean Environment, are upset, but if one wants to point fingers, be honest about the facts and reality of the situation.
Fortunately, Vermont has solid regulations in place via Act 250 and the PUC. In the next legislative session, a bill specific to large-load data centers can be properly developed without last-minute loopholes that compromise Vermont. Vermonters for a Clean Environment will continue to work toward this goal, as we always have.
Annette Smith
Danby, Vt.
