by the Ethan Allen Institute
H715, the Clean Heat Standard, passed in the House of Representatives on May 3, 2022, by a vote of 88-37.
Purpose: H.715 as amended obligates the PUC to design the Clean Heat Standard program, and then submit its initial plan for approval by the Legislature in 2023 and its final plan in 2024. This amended version of H.715 allocates $1.2 million to create and the study the Clean Heat Standard’s impact on Vermont.
To create the Clean Heat Standard (CHS), one of the central components of the Climate Action Plan (CAP), drafted by unelected renewable energy advocates. The Clean Heat Standard authorizes Vermont’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to create a market for “clean heat credits,” set to go online in 2024. These credits can be generated by any Vermont company or individual weatherizing businesses and homes, or through replacing fossil fuel appliances with renewable-powered heating appliances, with the price set annually by the PUC each year. If heating fuel sellers do not create enough credits themselves through such installations, they must purchase credits generated by others on a marketplace to stay in business.
Example: Whenever a heating fuel supplier sells a gallon of heating oil to a customer in Year 1, that gallon generates an obligation for Year 2. In Year 2, the fuel seller can choose to fulfill their obligation by installing weatherization and renewable heating appliances. Or, by purchasing clean heat credits from installers on the CHS market.
Analysis: Those voting YES believe the Clean Heat Standard will greatly help Vermont achieve its GWSA 2025 & 2030 greenhouse gas reduction mandates, and give Vermont the moral authority to do its part fighting climate change, saving Vermonters from paying high heating fuel prices, while bolstering a renewable industry with more jobs. All of those voting YES trust the PUC to implement the Clean Heat Standard without needing further legislative approval, having voted down an amendment requiring legislative approval after design has been completed.
Those voting NO believe the Clean Heat Standard would lead to extreme hardship for many of the 200,000 households who use some form of fossil fuel to heat their home (about 3 in 4 of all Vermont households). For some, heating fuel would become more expensive, as heating fuel providers pass on some of the added cost of clean heat credits to their customers. For others, heating their homes would become impossible, because the only fossil fuel providers servicing their area will have gone out of business after not being able to afford clean heat credits.
A few ‘lucky’ households will have the privilege of paying top dollar to appliance installers so they aren’t left in the cold. However, committee testimony suggests there aren’t enough installers to cover government-manufactured demand for such appliances. Worse still, testimony also suggests many renewable heating appliances are do not provide adequate heating during the coldest winter months. There are about 100 fossil fuel providers in Vermont. A few large providers like Vermont Gas can capitalize on H.715, by earning credits through installations and by having the flexibility to charge higher prices once their competition succumbs to the CHS.
As Recorded in the House Journal, for Tuesday, May 3, 2022: “Shall the House concur in the Senate proposal of amendment?, was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 88. Nays, 37.” (Read the Journal p. 1604 – 1622).
Ancel of Calais Yea
Anthony of Barre City Yea
Arrison of Weathersfield Yea
Austin of Colchester Yea
Bartholomew of Hartland Yea
Birong of Vergennes Yea
Black of Essex Yea
Bluemle of Burlington Yea
Bongartz of Manchester Yea
Bos-Lun of Westminster Yea
Brady of Williston Yea
Briglin of Thetford Yea
Brown of Richmond Yea
Brumsted of Shelburne Yea
Burke of Brattleboro Yea
Burrows of West Windsor Yea
Campbell of St. Johnsbury Yea
Chase of Colchester Yea
Christie of Hartford Yea
Coffey of Guilford Yea
Colston of Winooski Yea
Conlon of Cornwall Yea
Copeland Hanzas of Bradford Yea
Corcoran of Bennington Yea
Cordes of Lincoln Yea
Dolan of Essex Yea
Dolan of Waitsfield Yea
Donahue of Northfield Yea
Donnally of Hyde Park Yea
Durfee of Shaftsbury Yea
Emmons of Springfield Yea
Gannon of Wilmington Yea
Garofano of Essex Yea
Goldman of Rockingham Yea
Grad of Moretown Yea
Hooper of Montpelier Yea
Hooper of Randolph Yea
Houghton of Essex Yea
Howard of Rutland City Yea
James of Manchester Yea
Jessup of Middlesex Yea
Killacky of South Burlington Yea
Kimbell of Woodstock Yea
Kornheiser of Brattleboro Yea
LaLonde of South Burlington Yea
Lanpher of Vergennes Yea
Lefebvre of Newark Yea
Lippert of Hinesburg Yea
Long of Newfane Yea
Masland of Thetford Yea
McCarthy of St. Albans City Yea
McCormack of Burlington Yea
McCullough of Williston Yea
Morris of Springfield Yea
Mrowicki of Putney Yea
Mulvaney-Stanak of Burlington Yea
Nicoll of Ludlow Yea
Nigro of Bennington Yea
Notte of Rutland City Yea
Noyes of Wolcott Yea
Ode of Burlington Yea
Pajala of Londonderry Yea
Partridge of Windham Yea
Patt of Worcester Yea
Pugh of South Burlington Yea
Rachelson of Burlington Yea
Rogers of Waterville Yea
Satcowitz of Randolph Yea
Scheu of Middlebury Yea
Sheldon of Middlebury Yea
Sibilia of Dover Yea
Sims of Craftsbury Yea
Squirrell of Underhill Yea
Stebbins of Burlington Yea
Stevens of Waterbury Yea
Taylor of Colchester Yea
Toleno of Brattleboro Yea
Townsend of South Burlington Yea
Troiano of Stannard Yea
Vyhovsky of Essex Yea
Walz of Barre City Yea
Webb of Shelburne Yea
White of Bethel Yea
White of Hartford Yea
Whitman of Bennington Yea
Wood of Waterbury Yea
Yacovone of Morristown Yea
Yantachka of Charlotte Yea
Krowinski of Burlington Not Voting
Achey of Middletown Springs Nay
Brennan of Colchester Nay
Brownell of Pownal Nay
Canfield of Fair Haven Nay
Cupoli of Rutland City Nay
Dickinson of St. Albans Town Nay
Fagan of Rutland City Nay
Feltus of Lyndon Nay
Goslant of Northfield Nay
Gregoire of Fairfield Nay
Hango of Berkshire Nay
Helm of Fair Haven Nay
Higley of Lowell Nay
Kascenska of Burke Nay
LaClair of Barre Town Nay
Laroche of Franklin Nay
Lefebvre of Orange Nay
Leffler of Enosburgh Nay
Marcotte of Coventry Nay
McCoy of Poultney Nay
McFaun of Barre Town Nay
Morgan of Milton Nay
Morrissey of Bennington Nay
Murphy of Fairfax Nay
Norris of Sheldon Nay
Norris of Shoreham Nay
Parsons of Newbury Nay
Peterson of Clarendon Nay
Rosenquist of Georgia Nay
Scheuermann of Stowe Nay
Shaw of Pittsford Nay
Small of Winooski Nay
Strong of Albany Nay
Surprenant of Barnard Nay
Toof of St. Albans Town Nay
Walker of Swanton Nay
Williams of Granby Nay
Beck of St. Johnsbury Absent
Bock of Chester Absent
Burditt of West Rutland Absent
Cina of Burlington Absent
Colburn of Burlington Absent
Elder of Starksboro Absent
Graham of Williamstown Absent
Harrison of Chittenden Absent
Hooper of Burlington Absent
Jerome of Brandon Absent
Kitzmiller of Montpelier Absent
Labor of Morgan Absent
Martel of Waterford Absent
Mattos of Milton Absent
Morgan of Milton Absent
O’Brien of Tunbridge Absent
Page of Newport City Absent
Palasik of Milton Absent
Pearl of Danville Absent
Smith of Derby Absent
Smith of New Haven Absent
Sullivan of Dorset Absent
Terenzini of Rutland Town Absent
Till of Jericho Absent
Categories: Legislation
I guess the thing that troubles me is the amount of representatives that were “Absent” That’s a cowards way of voting
They are a bunch of chicken _____ !
Those that voted yes or were absent because they chose not to vote on this elitist measure have merely kicked the can down the road…again. We, the Vermont public know that this measure will negatively effect all Vermont residents, except for those receiving government subsidy.
To proudly proclaim this bill as any sort of CO2 or greenhouse gas reducing measure is an election year lie. Those that campaign on this as a positive are not worthy of holding any elected office. These “representatives” are certainly not representing the electorate, nor serving as required by the Vermont Constitution.