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And they double down GWSA’s “right to sue” provision.
Thirteen of seventeen Senate Democrats joined every Republican in repealing Act 18, the Clean Heat Standard, in a significant moral victory for the GOP. (For those wondering the four colossally out of touch “no” votes came from Andrew Perchlik (D/P- Washington), Ann Cummings (D-Washington), Becca White (D-Windsor), and Tanya Vyhovsky (D/P -Chittenden C.) But it didn’t come without a two hour long parliamentary ping pong match of amendments, amendments to amendments, divisions and roll calls that are edge of the seat exciting to, well, only to weirdos like me. But here’s the gist of the story….
Senator Terry Williams (R-Rutland) put forward an amendment to H.740, the fuel dealer registry bill that is designed to capture the data necessary to implement some form of carbon tax on fossil fuels, to repeal Act 18. Senator Anne Watson (D/P-Washington) countered with a supposed compromise repealing the Clean Heat Standard but going forward with the fuel dealer registry – step one for bringing about Clean Heat Standard 2.0 (or more likely Cap & Invest). The move was designed to force Republicans into a corner: vote yes to kill the policy you promised your constituents you’d kill, Act 18, but you’re stuck voting yes and giving us cover on the policy we Democrats really want to move forward with, the registry. Check.
Obviously, that’s a bad bargain for the Republicans and happily they didn’t take it. Instead, Scott Beck (R-Caledonia) moved that the vote on the bill be split, forcing up or down votes on each policy separately. As such, Republicans were able to put their colleagues across the aisle cleanly on the record, in the first case betraying their climate warrior base, and in the second throwing their fossil fuel consuming constituents (that’s pretty much all of them) under the electric bus. Check and mate.
It was a delicious political battle won, but not the war, because the Democrats – during this debate – were plotting their next Carbon Tax move. Senator Perchlik was straight forward about it: “[Repealing the Clean Heat Standard] has no meaning other than symbolicness [not a word, Andy, but we get your point]…. It doesn’t change the legislature’s ability to do this in the future.” Yup. That’s true! It’s exactly what they plan to do, and thank you for reminding us all that the only real way to ensure a new Clean Heat Standard bill, or a Cap & Invest bill, or a straight up excise tax on gas, diesel, and home heating fuels doesn’t happen is to un-elect politicians who want to do these things, and elect politicians who don’t. And, in case anyone is unclear here, the 17 Democrats who voted for the fuel dealer registry – all of them — DO, and the thirteen Republicans – all of them — who voted against it DON’T.
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth (D/P-Chittenden ) admitted, “The Democratic majority, post-election, is saying to you ‘here is the repeal you sought, the only thing we ask in return is that you allow us to gather some data so that we can make in the future some sensible moves on renewable energy [emphasis added].’” Um… no. Republicans weren’t elected to just act symbolicnessly (I’m rolling with it) regarding carbon taxes, they were elected to stop Democrats from imposing them at all, ever, period. Today proves they get that! And thank you!
Further evidence the Democrats most assuredly do not “get it” came next when Senator Williams put forward another amendment, this time to strip out the unimaginably stupid “anybody can sue the state if we fail to meet our unattainable greenhouse gas reduction goals” language from the Global Warming Solutions Act. This utterly idiotic provision leaves Vermont taxpayers on the hook for potentially millions of dollars in legal bills when – not if, when – we fail to lower our emissions to meet the impossible mandates.
This should go without say that any politician who votes to put you, their constituent, in legal and financial jeopardy is not a representative working on your behalf and with your best interests at heart. Note: every Democrat but one (Tom Chittenden, D-Chittenden SE) voted to double down and screw you on this point – again — and with the ignored benefit of hindsight.
As Chittenden explained, “It never seemed right to me yielding or abdicating our responsibilities to the judicial system…. This was passed before I joined the legislature and I said to people that I didn’t think it was good policy…. I don’t think this is the right thing for Vermont, and I do think it’s a bit of a distraction when we have to fend off or be afraid of lawsuits when we fail to meet objectives….”
That is the commonsense position held by just 1/17th of the Democrat majority in the state senate. Just so you know.
The fossil fuel registry did pass on party lines 17-13. We hope and expect Governor Scott will veto this if it gets to his desk. More importantly, the majority party showed us during this debate just how dangerous they will be if re-elected this November.
Rob Roper is a freelance writer with 25 years of experience in Vermont politics including three years service as chair of the Vermont Republican Party and nine years as President of the Ethan Allen Institute, Vermont’s free market think tank.
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Categories: Commentary
Thank you Rob ! We have a fight in front of us to take back the government of our State, and the sentiment as expressed by Winston Churchill when he said, “We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender !” I think says it all. God bless Winnie ! We (Conservatives in the SOV) have a long slog ahead of us, but we can never surrender !
Mr. Roper, you said:
“the majority party showed us during this debate just how dangerous they will be if re-elected this November.” Yes, they will reintroduce H. 740 next January when the Republican Senators uphold Governor Scott’s veto.
If a Democrat Governor is elected in 2028 and any Republican Senators are defeated, the dam will collapse and Vermonters will be victims to the wealthy foundations, “save the planet” NGOs and the Dem/Prog cabal when he signs the full enactment of the entire Climate Council agenda.
The only defense Vermont’s heating fuels customers will have is to vote in three more Republican Senators. Their Majority will defeat those crazy and painful ideas and send to the House realistic bills written to help us lower our energy cost and particularly the renewable energy standard.
Praise to Senator Williams and the Senate Republican Caucus. Competence and sanity generally lie toward the ideological center of politics.
The cabal has issued their threat to raise the cost of heating your homes. Silence them by giving your trust to Republican Senators. You did it in 2024 by electing six new Republican Senators. Give your trust to them again. Make it a Sweet Sixteen Republican Senate next year.
And truth be told, I am a Democrat.
It’s not about carbon, it’s about taxing you.
The world is not going to end, and even if it were the carbon tax wouldn’t stop it. It only gives connected government officials more power and money, the root and cause for Marxism, hence the undying push for things no Vermonter asked for.
And if they believed they could just write a check and send it to Montpelier, course nobody does that with their own money do they?
Sorry Neil, I disagree with you, it’s not about taxing that is secondary, it is all about Control of citizenry
True, sometimes they run a close first and second place, I’ll give you it’s about control of the citizenry, which is free labor, “free money” ( yours) ultimately. Not much to disagree about your statement, surely.
Question for Ron Wonderlick – And who understands that it is about controlling the citizenry? I hope more Democrats, like McCormack, will realize that they’ve encouraged a lot that will take away our rights – our heat, our property, our schools… Under Mao, and I say that intentionally – more need to realize that that is the kind of government with their indoctrination method trainings that want to boot out freedom and unity and exchange it for might makes right- so be quiet and happy SEL/Disney minions. Under Mao, when they said teachers and administrators know what is best and right for the child, they stripped the child from the parents and they only saw each other 1 day a year. Parents’ Rights are something all should clamor for, cling to, and protect.
My comment is coming from a 83yo man who served int the US Army. I’ve know since the murder of JFK our Federal government at time pulled the murder off; and then on 9/11 a similar but different with GROUP WITH the assistants of MOSSAD MURDERED somewhere in the area of several thousand Americans. And who was behind these Murders ? Well the Well known Democratic Party which is about too be shown, likely this year. We have been without a Constitution since 1971 and this is the same period when the Corporation was set up by the UK, The Vatican and passed by the Traitorous politicians in power at that time This is the period where Communism was brought forth to the US with the help of the Democratic Party and later on bu the Rion Republicans.. Democratic States have chosen the path Communism and Vermont is no exception. I expect sometime this year President Trump is going to Bring Back our orginal Constitution and all Political Traitors under Military Law (in effect now) and the Military Tribunals will round up all the Traitors, and there are plenty in Vermont and they will receive a one way ticket to GIMTO. Most if not all laws on Vermont books are non Constitution and neither are the most of Vermonts judicial laws. SHORT exampe: following are illegal: property tax, the law in question, law 181, all gun laws, Vehicle license’s, COVID Laws (all), All liberal law, illegal people taken into vermont. All against the Constitution… The Democratic Party is totally off base and hopefully will pay for their crimes together with the Rion’s of the Republican Party; Traitors all..
Vermont has the lowest gross carbon dioxide emission than any other state. We also have one of the lowest proficiency ratings in math and reading than any other state. Somehow methinks we are barking up the wrong tree.
Could explain how they pull the wool over our eyes….