The Floor Report: 03/21/2024
Today was a dark day in the Vermont State House, but not for a lack of renewable energy. The legislature decided to push yet another carbon tax onto the backs and out of the pockets of Vermont energy rate- payers.
This bill, H.289, will enrich solar companies and do very little to affect climate change, as the presenter of the bill so easily conceded. This bill is designed to force electrical utilities to produce or purchase all of their power from renewable sources.
The caveat of the bill is that in the event a company cannot source enough renewable energy, it will have to purchase Renewable Energy Credits or REC’s. Of course, while your utility company may be required to purchase some quantity of REC’s, it will undoubtedly pass the cost of that purchase (let’s call it what it is: a tax!) on to you.
So, what are REC’s, you might ask. REC’s, as they are called, are basically a traded commodity, much like pork bellies. The market for and price of REC’s can fluctuate wildly and most certainly with increased demand will spiral up in value. These REC prices are set on a national level and change greatly with the administration in power. (Obama $48, Trump $4-8, Biden $52) The impact of the market demand on REC’s is not known at all as Vermont and other States seek to transition to renewables.
Those in favor of the bill pointed to Vermont’s duty to lead by example despite being an infinitesimal carbon producer. One member, Rep. Mark Mihaly, a Democrat from Calais, went so far as to compare Vermont’s obligation to lead in climate change mitigation to the state’s duty to fight in the Civil War.
In reality, Vermont would be choosing to fight climate change at the expense of its own citizens by raising rates and buying credits. Vermont is not a large polluter and while the climate crisis is real, one must ask whether Vermonters can afford to grandstand on this issue when affordability is one of the biggest problems in the state. If the state is bankrupted and the workforce continues to move away, what does Vermont gain by selling renewable energy credits to its own citizens?
Where and from whom will we buy all the necessary REC’s? And what sorts of power generators will be eligible to claim that they produce REC’s?
Burning biomass is on its way out, and large scale hydro doesn’t count. What sources will continue to count? Some answer “solar,” and to some extent small- scale hydro and wind. But let’s take a second look at these so-called green energy sources.
Solar, while admirable, leaves us with outdated panels and systems on our roofs in a matter of years—panels that after taking valuable resources to construct will end up in a landfill. And by pushing for solar we will see an inequitable distribution of burden while enriching solar companies. Wind turbines degrade Vermont’s picturesque hills and threaten birds and other wildlife, and turbines are produced out of state and provide no up-side in jobs or the economy of Vermont. And finally, how long will small scale hydro be exempted if large scale is no good?
But that’s not all. Perhaps the biggest problem is that the grid as constructed cannot handle the increased demand for electricity. Solar requires 2 way power transmission technology, and the increased demand for electricity, as we are forced to transition to an electric lifestyle, cannot be supported with current infrastructure. So again, who but ratepayers will pick up the tab?
While the legislature’s Joint Fiscal Office has prepared a revised (revised at the request of the Democrat leadership) fiscal note estimates the cost over 10 years would be somewhere between $0.00 and $450,000,000.00, the original and probably more accurate estimate predicted a cost closer to one billion.
It seems that the super majority is completely in the dark when it comes to the realities of green energy. Rather than doing something good for Vermonters and for the environment, they chose to pass a feel good agenda that will cost Vermont ratepayers a fortune. I fought hard on the floor to stop this bill but the most eyes in the building are wide shut!
Gina Galfetti is the Vermont State Representative for the Washington/Orange District and can be reached: Ggalfetti@leg.state.vt.us or 802.461.3520
Discover more from Vermont Daily Chronicle
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categories: Business, Commentary, Energy, Environment, Legislation, State Government
As Adjutant-General, Theodore S. Peck wrote in his report to Vermont Governor Page in 1892 regarding Vermonters who served in the Civil War: “Vermont, in proportion to the number of men furnished, gave to the Union more lives lost from all causes than any other Northern State.”
Nuts!!! If that’s kind of loss and sacrifice Rep. Mark Mihaly expects from Vermonters, he is showing himself to be even more cruel and inhumane than a slave holder. He should get his head out of the climate fog and if not, treated in the same way British tax collectors were treated before the American Revolution.
Dr. Shiva Ayyadural, MIT, PhD: 15 minute cities, carbon credits and digital currency.
https://www.youtube.com/live/an0k1FAm0T4?si=OXATg_xaQv8awVwW
Rep. Galfetti writes: “Vermont is not a large polluter and while the climate crisis is real, one must ask…”
This is where good people like Rep. Galfetti go so wrong, thinking they have to acknowledge a lie in order to sound credible.
“Climate change” is a lie. A manufactured social construct that wants to inevitably control all of society. Control energy and you essentially control a people.
REC’s are but another way to transfer dollars, while virtue signaling at the same time. Vermont politicians have benefitted from the scheme, and in a small way so have Vermont’s ratepayers in the past- by sale of these “credits” to out of state utilities. Never wanting a good money scheme nor crisis go to waste, this legislature is laser focused on grabbing some graft for their corporate benefactors- as instructed.
Look North of the border to Canada to see how this scam is playing out. Watching Justin Trudeau and Chrystia Freeland throwing themselves over the grenade of climate change is quite telling as it is amusing. The second wave of carbon taxes is about to slam Canadian’s pockets on April 1. The EU erupting into protests, led by farmers, is sending their leaderships into sheer panic. It appears all the scandals of Trudeau, The Biden, and The EU are coming to a head. I foresee a flock of black swans will land shortly to provide cover as they run and scattter like roaches.
I saw that. Farmers are spraying manure on the streets in front of the government buildings. There are hundreds of farmers and tractors protesting. You won’t see that on our news channels. It’s called censorship by omission. Always easier to dumb down the masses than to tell the truth. Eventually that will happen here or something worse. Free people do not want to live under totalitarian rule. This is history repeating itself. People just want to be left alone to live their lives. It’s always the busy body, controllers that are responsible for the chaos. It’s always the people who have to straighten it out.
Dear Rep. Galfetti,
VT’s Constitution Article 6 is allowed to be egregiously ignored. Thank you for upholding Vermonts’ Constitution and for your thoughtfulness. What also is being ignored by Vermont dome people is that they missed relevant recent major headlines along with the green equity energy memo supported by the UN and WEF.
The headlines and memo read that the Biden Admin, using our tax payer dollars, along with Microsoft Amazon Google ( using their combined market value of approx 8 Trillion dollars ) have been and are, right this very minute, investing tremendous amounts for carbon pollution- free electricity or CFE. This supports manufacturing electricity at a lower costs per kWh. As you know, those mentioned are all part of WEF and UN agenda. Further, Amazon, Google and Microsoft require and consume vast amounts of electricity for their enterprises making CFE to their advantage as an affordable cost effective solution. Green energy is no longer strictly sourced as ” renewable energy” per Vermont. CFE inclusive green sources include nuclear ( uranium and thorium) and geothermal among others.
Why is that ? The reason that these leaders expanded from just renewables into a broadening of green to “carbon pollution-free ” is because they know that an a la carte addition to the green menu of sources is true, useful, equitable, intelligent, and profitable. How do they know that ? World over, it has been proven, renewables alone, sun and wind, can not necessarily supply the required consistent, non-variable, and reliable energy flow that electric grids require to meet the unending demand for electricity/energy/power. Now their CFE – carbon pollution-free electricity, includes power sources that meet the green standards, support the green industrial revolution, the environment, and are equitably inclusive in the global energy economy.
Those listed above, the world leading powers that be, know. The previous and very serious problem of nuclear waste water is now, year over year, successfully being solved in France by re cycling techniques. France perfects re cycling of nuclear waste water by extracting the core elements of uranium. They then provide those same extracted key elements, back into a re feed cycle in the manufacturing process. The nuclear waste water is further refined to extract medical grade isotopes. Further, France now manufactures enough electricity to export it. Annually, France realizes billions in revenue by exporting its electricity. Evolution not revolution is its success.
The latest 2030 memo makes it simple to see that the overall green ESG 2030 agenda is, at its core, a boundless financial market for carbon pollution-free electric energy of which Vermont is already engaged as is much of the rest of the world. Vermont does not need to limit itself by being unaffordable and can in fact distinguish itself as a leader in affordability for carbon pollution-free energy.
Back to our own Vermont story: Little Vermont’s rocketing demands for electricity, just for individual personal home use is dizzy making and costly. It now includes that we all have broadband, WiFi routers, smartphones, computers and peripherals, smart home sensors and devices, smart meters, thermostats, electric heat, heat pumps, water pumps, washer/ dyers, AC, refrigeration, cooking, lights, rechargeable batteries, tele-medicine, tele-health, online shopping, banking, insurance, financing, stock trading, communications, news, on line homework and classes, entertainment, and transportation such as Ev’s with their own charging stations. That makes for a huge overall personal increase in required costly electric power by every one of us.
Vermont electric companies maintain our “green” services, make upgrades, as they also make profits. Combine our home consumer demand with the tremendous electricity pull required to personally power each of us : server farms and cooling those server farms, AI , cloud computing, data, robots, imaging, blockchain, bitcoin / crypto digital currency mining, all part of Web3 , all are inter-reliant, and all are continuously consuming vast amounts of electricity in order to run the back end that supports our personal home use, all the time, albeit invisibly. Add in government and businesses load of electric consumption and costs atop. Electricity demand will be ever expanding and is what is driving the market. That the sourced standard of carbon pollution-free electricity or CFE, blends sources ( not just renewables) just became the direction.
According to Yale Connect, in 2021, 59% of Vermont’s green energy comes from hydro power, 8% from solar and some from wind. Years back, until 2014, Vermont was powered by Vermont Yankee nuclear electricity. With that, Vermont’s strong suit with its historically time tested hydro energy, combined with easy access to the already built carbon free electricity from nearby New England nuclear plants such as Seabrook, and its judicious trim of solar/wind renewable installs, glides Vermont right into the CFE standard and as a thought leader in environmentally friendly and very affordable energy solutions. Vermont then is the poster child.
By Vermont swimming with the current market of a carbon pollution- free energy in the CFE strategy ( not just renewable), the affect is designed to reduce the kWh costs for Vermont electric consumers because Vermont leaves the bleeding edge of just renewables. Same holds true for businesses. Carbon pollution-free electricity maintains Vermont as a ranking player in the green carbon credit offset and ESG markets while it sustains Vermont as a natural bio-diverse ecological treasure. Lucky Vermont, hydro + nuclear + renewables + carbon credit market + forest sequestration + pure clean soil + water resources- its all already here right in our own backyards and its done.
By Vermont’s embrace of implementing the accepted CFE standard, ” we ride the horse the direction it is going.” Vermont can realize low energy costs, and stop the energy affordability crisis. Energy can then be spent in maintaining old buildings and homes as we update and weatherize them, support attractive low energy costs for building appropriately efficient new homes and senior housing, make infrastructure updates, attract new families and businesses- all of that can simply happen because Vermont plays its already existing brand strengths, amplifies its relationships and its knowledgeable Vermonters while headlining Vermont’s reputation for being ingenious problem solvers.
CFE @Vermont equitably weights energy policy on actual affordability for all, while being green. It also maintains Vermont’s place for further development of carbon pollution-free energy solutions inside ESG. All the while we are supported 24/7 by carbon sequestration via our existing bio-diverse forests and landscapes. We just need to calculate that sequestration number and thankfully care for the forests to do that work for us.
Further, according to Vermont’s P.V.R, Land Records/Facts 2.5 million acres or 33 % of the land already is in current use. That means for the 2030 agenda, and the 30 x 30 initiative, we met and exceeded the 30 x 30 marker.
We really got this. Lets use it.
Thank you for the work you do.