by Matt Cota, Vermont Fuel Dealers Association
The Burlington City Council voted 10-2 Monday evening for a charter change resolution that may result in a ban of oil and gas heat.
What happens next?
Voters in Burlington will decide on March 2, 2021 whether to approve the charter change. If they do, the Legislature will be asked to sign off on the proposal.
If the City Council is given permission from both Burlington voters and the Vermont Legislature, they could ban oil and gas heat in new construction and charge an “impact fee” for those that want to stick with their existing heating system.
After hearing from concerned constituents who watched this WCAX-TV report, an amendment was added that requires any future carbon tax ordinance to be approved by city voters.
In other words, if the Vermont Legislature gives Burlington permission to tax its own residents for staying warm, voters will get a second chance to say no.
Click here to watch the full City Council debate.
Click here to watch the WCAX story featuring VFDA’s comments.
For more on the Burlington Burner Ban, go to vermontfuel.com/burnerban.
[Editorial comment: if this charter change passes, Vermonters have got to wonder – what’s next? Eliminating heating fuel assistance for low income Burlington residents if it pays for natural gas? Requiring restaurants to cook with electric burners? Removing propane patio heaters on church street that are keeping restaurants open during the pandemic?]
Categories: Energy
How long do you think Burlington citizens will hold their collective hand over the climate change candle’s flame before they pull it away?
What would you expect from the city that promoted a politician with a socialist agenda to a level where he could promote his agenda to the whole country ? Burlington is full of like minded liberal fruitcakes. I don’t think that they are necessarily the majority, but unless the more level headed residents get out and vote, these fruitcakes rule the roost in the state’s most populated city and county. Pity ……
what a bunch of idiots……here’s to hoping they spend a long winter cold and in the dark.
I agree… but we will get blamed for their misfortune.
when the grid goes down and it can, when the temp is -20° during the day and they have no way to stay warm, do you think they’ll regret voting for idiots who passed the global warming solutions act?
What exactly is their plan to heat their homes in winter? It doesn’t seem like there was a lot of serious thought put into this decision. Is every home in Burlington getting some type of solar heat, or will the authorities just tell the chilly residents to put on another sweater and stop complaining? The temperature is not going to be in the 60’s or 70’s for quite awhile…too long to go without heat.
First, there is no such supply of electric anywhere, nor the power lines capable of doing all this Magic Hat stuff, to do this massive job of heating all of Burlington, industrial, retail and 5+ thousand homes and apartments.
We have had occasion to worry about abundance and availability of fuel oil, and propane.
How are babies and small kids going to stay warm. Think people think! Its time to start thowing these liberal idiots out of Vermont.
What are they planing on heating there homes with wood or coal? What idiots more carbon from the alternative to oil or gas electric would mean more oil fired plants to supply the electricity. Solar panels are more toxic then nuclear power which the government chased out of Vt. Were do these clowns come from.