For flood damage to our communities and mental health damage to our children

by Rob Roper

After Tropical Storm Irene did so much damage in Vermont in August 2011, the logical use of state resources and climate policy going forward should have been adaptation to changing weather conditions – especially if you profess to believe that “climate change” is going to lead to more extreme weather events in the near future. We mostly didn’t do that in great part because VPRIG and similar so-called environmentalist organizations spent the following decade embarked on fraudulent propaganda campaigns to steer state policy and investment away from climate adaptation and into “climate mitigation” via carbon footprint reduction – which has no impact on future weather events but does enrich VPIRG board members and donors in the renewable energy business.

Adaptation, of course, means preparing for the next flood by doing things like expanding culverts, strengthening bridges, where possible moving roads and buildings out of flood planes, upgrading sewage treatment plants to withstand high water levels, etc. And, if you’re worried about prolonged heatwaves and/or freezing spells, building up the electric grid and filling it with cheap, reliable baseload power to run things like air conditioners. We did some of this after Irene with federal money, and where we did it by and large worked to minimize damage this past July.

Unfortunately, because of VPIRG and their army of lobbyists, billions of state taxpayer dollars between 2012 and 2023 were diverted away from such efforts and into things like mandating and subsidizing more expensive and less reliable renewable energy generation, subsidies for electric vehicle purchases going mostly to wealthier Vermonters, subsidizing home solar panel installations, and so forth – again, activates that benefit their donors’ businesses at the expense of Vermonters’ fiscal and physical health and safety.

VPIRG sold their policy priorities with the false promise that by reducing our state’s carbon footprint we could actually reduce or stop future storms or temperature changes from taking place. For example, in February 2015 I received a fundraising email from VPIRG that said, “Imagine a Vermont without snow. No skiing. No snowmen. No sledding. No ice skating. With the entire Northeast digging out from more storms, this may seem unthinkable. But it’s the very real future we face unless we act now to confront global warming….” The clear implication being that if we adopted the policies VPIRG was advocating for (and gave them the money to pay their army of lobbyists to get those policies passed into law) we could control the weather to ensure a future filled with snow. (Note: I did not donate.) Today they’re pushing the myth we can stop future floods. This is, was, and continues to be a lie. A flat out, overflowing crock of steaming bovine feces.

And VPIRG knew it was a lie when they sent me that fundraising request. In fact, here’s video from 2014 in which VPIRG’s Ben Walsh admits in committee testimony that the entire country eliminated greenhouse gas emissions immediately and started generating energy from “pixie dust”, it will have no material effect on future climate trends.

So now VPIRG is embarking on a new campaign saying we should “Make Big Oil Pay” for the negative impact the industry’s activities have had on our Vermont communities following the July flooding. Big Oil, VPIRG alleges, knew that their products caused harm and hid that truth from the public.

Oh, the irony. And the absurdity.

Let’s face it, Big Oil isn’t going to pay. The industry will surely fight any such effort in court and likely win because scientifically – the real science, not the deranged ramblings of Greta Thunberg – the links between fossil fuels, CO2, and their impacts on extreme weather events is extremely weak.  Even if the oil companies somehow do ultimately lose this legal battle, it will be years in the fighting and even longer before Vermonters would see a dime.

So, why is VPIRG doing this? It’s a distraction from the massive cost in real money the policies they are advocating for will mean for Vermonters by creating an illusion that someone else will pay, and from their own culpability in the policy mess their lobbying and grassroots activities have wrought.

So here’s an alternative idea….

Vermonters should go after VPIRG and make them pay for the damage their lobbying for and lying about policies – all based on a false premise that they knew to be false – diverted resources away from flood adaptation which lead to unnecessary damages in Montpelier, Barre, Johnson, Waitsfield, and other communities throughout Vermont.

In addition to these costs, Vermonters are looking at a potential 18.5% property tax increase to cover rising costs of education. A big chunk of that is for the rising cost of dealing with mental health issues amongst our young people, and a big reason why we are seeing rising levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide in our young population is fear of climate change – the direct result of VPIRG’s hyperbolic propaganda in our schools.

A UK study done last October revealed that 90% of students said “climate change impacted their mental health and wellbeing in the preceding four weeks. The most commonly reported impacts were: Frustration and anger due to climate change denial (40%), Frustration and anger that not enough is being done to address climate change (37%), Anxiety about the impact of climate change on future generations (37%).” So, it’s not actually climate change itself that is impacting mental health, it is the untrue alarmist messaging – like the messaging pushed by VPIRG in our schools – that is negatively impacting students’ mental health. (For more detail, here’s an earlier article I did highlighting how VPRIG’s exploits young people: “VPIRG showcases widespread mental health damage they’ve inflicted on young Vermonters.)

Ergo, VPIRG, by their own logic, should be made to pick up the tab for the damage their activities are having on our kids and our communities. As Paul Burns, executive director of VPIRG says, “The idea is simple. If you make a mess, you clean it up.” Well, you’ve contributed to some pretty big messes, Paul. Let’s see you clean them up.

Rob Roper is a freelance writer who has been involved with Vermont politics and policy for over 20 years. This article reprinted with permission from Behind the Lines: Rob Roper on Vermont Politics, robertroper.substack.com