by John McClaughry
As the 2024 legislative session approaches, it’s a good time to comprehend the breadth, depth, and likely costs of the multiyear campaign to make Vermont the world’s splendid example of bold action to defeat the menace of climate change.
In 2011 Gov. Peter Shumlin decreed that Vermont would get 90% of its energy from renewable sources by 2050. Curiously, the legislature never acted to establish this requirement. Why not? Several years ago a Senate bill included a ratification of Shumlin’s decree, but it was quietly jettisoned when it occurred to Senators that achieving that goal might require billions of taxpayer dollars, which might be poorly received by taxpayers.
Nonetheless, the Democratic legislature has embarked on a campaign to put the state on the path to reach that goal by 2050 (when none of today’s legislators are likely to still be in office.)
The straightforward method for achieving the Shumlin-decreed goal was imposing a carbon tax to make fossil fuels unaffordable. Numerous bills were introduced to levy a carbon tax but the word “tax” set off alarm bells. The climate activists then switched to decreeing energy mandates that the utilities and the fuel dealers would have to meet, with the ultimate costs landing on consumers with no finger prints that legislators would have to explain.
In 2015 the legislature enacted Act 59, to create a more stringent Renewable Energy Standard. This measure mandated that electric utilities get 75% of their electricity from “qualified renewables” by 2032, 10% of it from Vermont generation. Now we learn from a December 14 WCAX report that negotiations are nearing completion to amend the RES to require utilities to get 100% of their energy from renewables by 2030, with 20% from Vermont sources.
Vermont utilities are probably not happy about this, but they have one major consolation: the Public Utility Commission, created in 1886 to protect consumers and businesses from higher prices set by monopolies, will cheerfully approve all rate increases sought by utilities forced to buy higher cost, intermittent wind and solar electricity. We know that because Anthony Roisman, the anti-nuclear warrior who chairs the PUC, told us 3 years ago that Vermont was facing a “Pearl Harbor moment” requiring a “wartime effort” to cope with the growing menace of climate change.
Already proceeding on the climate activists’ agenda is the Clean Heat Standard, enacted over Gov. Scott’s veto last spring. In 2025 the PUC will present to the legislature its final plan for requiring dealers of fuel oil, propane, natural gas and kerosene to buy PUC credits, the cost of which will be passed along to heating fuel consumers.
The motor fuel sector is the largest contributor to Vermont’s carbon dioxide emissions. This was to be dealt with by a multistate Transportation and Climate Initiative. This scheme, like the Clean Heat Standard, would lay a tax on motor fuel at terminals in New York and Massachusetts where most Vermont motor fuel dealers load their product. Vermont motorists would absorb the cost.
Happily the TCI collapsed in 2021when the final two supporting governors bailed out. But the Vermont Climate Council is seeking an appropriation next year to hire consultants to explain how Vermont can install its own disguised motor fuel tax.
The Council also has dozens more recommendations in its action agenda. Few if any of them are in Gov. Scott’s agenda, but with super majorities in both House and Senate the Democratic legislators and their vast Energy Action Network may be able to push through many more costly schemes to defeat the menace of climate change.
How popular are these climate change-fighting programs? In November Campaign for Vermont scientifically polled Vermonters on a number of emerging issues. With regard to combating climate change, it found that 63% of respondents opposed any new tax on home heating fuels, and 57.6% weren’t willing to pay any more at all to finance such a program. On increasing the motor fuel tax, 70.6% opposed and 62.9% weren’t willing to pay any more for it. Are our Democratic legislators listening? (The Republican legislators obviously are. Not a one supports this ambitious agenda.)
Earlier this month governments met at the Conference of Parties (COP 28) in Dubai and, while not agreeing to cut the use of carbon-based fuels, voted to promote a tripling of renewable energy by 2030. Despite all the supportive speeches, no one believes that any more than a handful of the 190+ governments involved will actually achieve that goal, or even try all that hard.
But the legislative majority in Montpelier seems to think that Vermonters will rejoice at their enactment of a similar agenda, even though it will have no detectable effect on the Earth’s future climate.
The author, a Kirby resident, is founder and former vice-president of the Ethan Allen Institute. With his permission, VDC gratefully re-publishes commentaries written in years past but still spot-on today.
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Categories: Commentary, Environment
A single coal power plant in India, of which there are thousands and more coming on line every year, produce more carbon emissions than all of Vermont.
I read this article with anticipation of getting to the part where the author would offer alternative ideas, or constructive suggestions. In the end, as usual for this crank, he had none, other than the implied ‘do nothing and everything will be okay’.
The point is to stop the insanity. Vermont can do nothing to impact climate nor can it help ro improve the climate, reduce carbon, of other countries. This has nothing to do with climate change and everything to do with installing an echo-comu-fascist state under the guise of climate change with a new moral code centered around equity, socialism and Marxism. The World Economic Forum refers to the new economic model in its white paper as equity-based socialism. I know this is hard to believe, but very true.
wow..you hit the nail on the head!!! Climate change is another hoax to tax the ‘herd’….ask the cool aide drinkers if they know how this continent was populated re the Bering Land Bridge 15-30,000 years ago and you will get crickets.
“…offer alternative ideas or constructive suggestions “… there are no other ideas or suggestions that can be offered to refute faith in the religion of climate apocalypse . Faith is immune to corruption by anything unbiased reason, science or technology can offer.
One more in support of the ‘do nothing’ plan.
These climate tax scams will do absolutely nothing to stop climate change in Vermont. Not by 1 degree. Add this to the 20% increase in property taxes to prop up our failing schools and it will take the last dollar from every Vermonter to survive in Vermont.
Just another way to fleece the taxpayers, no different than in the 70s when they said that a ice age was coming. Official weather records only go back 160 yrs. They don’t have any idea of how the planet changes through the centuries.
Geologists do.
There are many who research and study long-term global climate change, including William Happer, the physicist from Princeton, an expert in his field. He is ignored as is many other scientists that study the various elements that impact short and long term climate/weather paterns. Other scientists look at the ice cores and can prove that there has been far more carbon on the planet and life flourished.
Any scientist who contradicts the UN’s climate solution is censored on social media. They all agree that there is no pending climate catastrophe! Another example is Dr. Bjorn. He aggregates UN data and has suggested solutions to the UN that are achievable and economically viable. Of course he is also ignored and labeled a climate sceptic. The public never gets to hear alternate views or solutions because the UN partners with media companies to control all information the public is allowed to see.
The issue is that technologically we have limited energy alternatives. Hydrogen cars is one option, but the technology isn’t ready for mass production. Nuclear energy is another option which doesn’t produce carbon, but the activists and politicians do not like nuclear energy.
cannot believe that carbon at .04 percent of atmosphere is worthy of all this effort and expense. government wants more control over citizens and to reward their friends
With the last round of flooding the other day, clueless activists will scream “climate change.” Did anyone catch the skies on Saturday? It was a beautiful blue bird day…with increasing criss crossing “contrails” until the sky became hazy by 4 (as suspected it would). I can’t help but wonder….
Wonder no more. Climate engineering has been a patented scientific fact for a long time…
https://www.geoengineeringwatch.org/the-dimming-full-length-climate-engineering-documentary/
Please find some ELECTABLE Republican candidates
Let’s put things into perspective, if every person in Vermont, all 650K of them, give or take, and everyone went 100% renewable today, it would only amount to someone spitting into the ocean to curtail CO2.
These climate crusaders in Vermont are a pack of clowns, people just might take them seriously, if they actually dealt with the countries that are real polluters, we might just believe their rhetoric, but they won’t, just follow the money trail.
Vermont is already ready green enough, its name says it all, the green mountain state,
or until liberals ruin it, and they’re trying………………Wake up, people !!
VT could do well to build one or two nuclear power plants (utilize existing transmission system from VT Yankee to achieve 100% carbon dioxide free power (not that CO2 is a true problem anyways). Take the remaining funds and do flood prone area infrastructure improvements to handle lots of runoff from our hilly landscape. Our towns and city designs obviously have created water absorption and runoff issues that need to be dealt with.
I also observed a gorgeous bright sunny Saturday morning, followed by seven chemtrails creating a plaid sky by midafternoon Saturday… which is twice as many as usual when “they” want a rainy spell. A neighbor and I were both unnerved by the number. Those of us who pay attention to such things, saw them chemtrailing the hell out of the sky this summer….” things that make you go: hmmmm….” )
There have been more than 40 wastewater overflows (raw or partially treated sewage) into Vermont’s rivers and Lake Champlain in the past two days, as documented by ANR. https://anrweb.vt.gov/DEC/WWInventory/SewageOverflows.aspx
Meanwhile, the grid provides us with electricity, our heating systems work fine, and our cars take us where we want to go.
Imagine if the Democrats worked to solve the problems that exist right here in Vermont. There is a saying for the idea that we need a new electrical grid, heat pumps and EVs – “IF IT AIN’T BROKE – DON’T FIX IT!!
Here is just one scientist who is confirming that there is no climate emergency. The climate emergency is a political construct. Please note the Utube banner that the UN is the authority on climate science. According to the United Nations, it owns “the science” on climate change.
https://youtu.be/KSVzhQL9kpo?si=lhSEv9gxqANc451H
The so-called-Climate change experts continue to lie to us. In summary, it a fleecing scheme by the Orwellian class. Money spent combatting climate change is simply a transfer of wealth from middle-income citizens to the elite class (with a high percentage of Progressives). Always remember that China, India, Africa toss in 5 carbon units for every 1 we remove.
Thanks to Christine Stone for her two insightful comments. As for Brian Costello, he like many others have shouted “crank” and “denier” etc at me for the past 20 years but NONE of the acid tongued critics gives us any defense of many serious flaws in he “climate menace” handbook. For example, tell me just what “average global temperature” means. They just holler “science says!” but know nothing of the actual science. See Steven Koonin’s 2021 book Unsettled and especially the establishment campaign to beat him down. Koonin taught computer statistics at CalTech for 30 years and would crush Costello like an insect.