More ideological virtue signaling with other people’s money.
by Rob Roper
The House Energy & Technology Committee took up H.289 this week, a bill to ratchet up our current Renewable Energy Standard (RES) mandates – the amount of electricity utilities have to buy from so-called “renewable” sources – from 75 percent by 2032 to 100 percent by 2030. This, according to the Department of Public Service, will cost Vermonters an additional $500 to $800 million in higher electricity costs over ten years, which translates into a 5-6 percent overall increase that will be reflected in your electric bills.
This, of course, is on top of the additional burden the current RES regulations cost us and doesn’t include the additional cost of transmission infrastructure upgrades that will be necessary to handle that newly mandated “renewable” energy, nor does it account for any inflationary cost increases due to rising demand for electricity as these same legislators mandate our transition (at metaphorical gunpoint) to electric vehicles, electric heat, electric cooking, etc.
Testifying before the committee on January 24, T.J. Poor of the Department of Public Service made sure to clarify that this $800 million is, “Costs above the benefits. So, net costs to Vermont ratepayers…. The costs and benefits that hit Vermonters’ pocketbooks.” Because Vermont’s efforts to lower our carbon footprint will have no appreciable positive impact on future climate trends or effect on extreme weather events, there is really no benefit at all to this policy. Unless, of course, you’re in the renewable energy business, which, coincidentally, a lot of big dollar donors to the VT Democrat Party just happen to be. So, hmmm.
Poor went on to warn that these estimates do not include, “Costs to the transmission and distribution system necessary to create ‘headroom’ for this other generation.” And that, “there are some emerging information and data showing that there are significant transmission costs to getting the amount of solar likely to be cited [as required by these mandates].”
Poor put these numbers in some perspective by illustrating $500 million over ten years could weatherize 50,000 homes at $10,000 per home or provide $5000 subsidies for 100,000 electric vehicle purchasers. Even better, just let Vermonters keep our money and spend it on things that we think will improve our lives or bring us joy as we see fit.
These financially illiterate lawmakers keep telling us that they’re just “asking us to pay a little more”; it’s no big deal. But these things cost real people real money over time. To use this one of the thousands of fiscal cuts inflicted upon us by these people as an example, the average Vermonter’s electric bill is $109 a month. A six percent increase to that is about $80 a year. If a 25-year-old Vermonter were to put that $80 a year into an S&P index fund earning the 100-year average return of 9.9%, by the time he or she retired at 65 it would be worth $43,117. (Thank you, Edward Jones Retirement Calculator.) That’s the opportunity cost they are robbing us of.
It’s not just households suffering under this arbitrary and idiotic energy policy. Bill Driscoll of Associated Industries of Vermont reminded these lawmakers that they are debating this bill amid the backdrop of a 200-year-old Vermont Company, Soundview (a.k.a. Putney Paper), announcing on January 17th that it is shutting down and laying off 127 Vermonters. The reason cited, according to the Brattleboro Reformer: “Over the past decade, the company said it has invested tens of millions of dollars to strengthen the mill, but the rising energy costs are ‘too insurmountable to sustain operations.’ (emphasis added).”
As Driscoll noted in his testimony, “[Vermont businesses] are already in a high stress environment because we are a high-cost state for electricity…. So, to unnecessarily choose a more expensive path, even if it’s a couple percentage points, it’s concerning that we would go down that road…. Businesses make long range plans. They look several years down the road in making their decisions about where they are going to go. If we have – to simplify – two paths toward a clean [energy] portfolio, and one is more expensive than the other and we choose the more expensive path, that’s not a positive signal you’re sending to businesses as to how policy is going to develop in this state and how the costs they are trying to deal with are going to evolve over time.”
This should be obvious — especially for politicians repeatedly telling us they really want to bring good paying jobs to our communities — but a majority of our legislators are either too dim to get it or simply do not care, campaign rhetoric aside.
The Reformer quoted Representative Mike Mrowicki (D-Putney) as saying, “This is terrible news for the employees and families of Soundview/Putney Paper Co.” Yes, and they can thank the energy policies you and your colleagues worked so hard to put in place for their new status as, as you might put it in the lingo from the cool kids’ table in State House cafeteria, people experiencing unemployment.
If you really want us to believe you care about the plight of working Vermonters and folks struggling to make ends meet and plan for the future, we’ll be watching to see how you vote on H.289. And we’ll be watching what happens with our increasingly unaffordable electric bills.
Rob Roper is a freelance writer with 20 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, Energy, State Government
amerika is finished
Vermont is unaffordable. Time to sound the deathknell. Along with high property taxes, increased cost to register a vehicle, rising electric bills, rising home heating costs, more taxes about to be levied like the 11% excise on guns and ammo, the addition of a local sales tax, and the declining quality of life due to illegal drug use and crime with laws that protect the criminals, and a hell bent on destruction supermajority, why would anyone want to run a business or continue to live in this state?
My spouse (born and raised in Vt.) and myself (been here since my dad, a 26-year U.S.A.F. Vet. retired in 1974), we can weather the high property taxes. At an 18% increase on our bill, it will rise $74.00 per month. We can weather the electric cost increase, the increase from the DMV as well. The rest of the tax increase will not come from us. Fuel oil (ORD) from N.H.: 2022 GMC Sierra and 4 55-gallon drums will work well. 0% tax. Ammo: N.H, 0 %. All groceries. 0 % tax. We buy EVERYTHING across the river which is a stone throws away. I urge EVERYONE to buy goods and services in N.H. It’s only 1 1/2 hours to the tax-free Live Free or Die state from the western area off. F-off Marxist/Prog./Dems and your hairbrained legislation!
I think the simulation must be sending us a message when the state’s “expert” is named Poor.
i like pain/// i just shut off my electric water heater/// i will heat my water on my wood stove this winter/// the next thing to go will be my out side security light/// this should save about 50.00 dollars per month///
Don’t turn off your water heater, it can get bacteria build up in the tank if you do that. You might be able to purge the tank, but if you don’t flush it regularly it might break the valve.
How is hydro electric not a renewable energy source
Louis Porter of Washington Electric Co-op said in testimony he is working with REV and VPIRG on the RES update. REV, the renewable energy industry lobbyists, and VPIRG, the renewable energy industry lobbyists.
not to worry/// water will still come out/// will not be heated ///will be flushed every day///
For what, to reduce carbon emissions?
That show is over.
Time to dismiss our ignorant Legislators.
“When an honest man discovers he is mistaken, he will either cease to be mistaken or cease to be honest.” ~~ Anonymous
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11540191/
“Elevating CO2 from 340 to 1200 micromoles mol-1 can increase the seed yield of wheat and rice by 30 to 40%;”
https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/climate-scientists-say-we-should-embrace-higher-co2-levels-5551562
The Vermont Legislators are destroying Vermont through ignorance and lies.
“Elevating CO2 from 340 to 1200 micromoles mol-1 can increase the seed yield of wheat and rice by 30 to 40%;”
The CO2 scam is over.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/climate-scientists-say-we-should-embrace-higher-co2-levels-5551562
I led teams of experts studying various climate-friendly policies on behalf of the Center for Climate Strategies for the states of Minnesota, New York, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Sonora (Mexico), Baja California (Mexico), as well as the Western Climate Initiative and the US nationally. In every case the renewable portfolio standard policy was a job killer – the net effect on employment and personal income across the jurisdiction’s economy was negative. Doubling down on the policy in a state where the CO2 benefits are meaningless is insane.
The result of reducing man-made CO2 is not the goal of climate evangelists. This brand of evangelism is centered around making money for the organization. CLF, VPIRG, VNRC, VECAN- a cornucopia of liberal non-profits, all looking to expand their business model, enrich their boards and employees at the expense of a very naive Vermont. So too are national governments using our gullibility to push the climate narrative for their respective goals- which all revolve around dollars. There can be little doubt that China, Iran, Russia and other governments are funding these groups and quietly influencing elitist politicians for that countries benefit- for whatever motive- money, power or hatred of the United States. This climate evangelism is a well executed scam with thousands of players all looking to cash in. None of Vermont’s GWSA legislation and requirements actually reduce or remediate the level of carbon in the atmosphere, stop pretending that it might- as Mr. Wennberg states. Look at this evangelism as it really is- a business model to control, extract dollars and generally weaken the economy of the United States. Look at the legislation enacted in Vermont, California and other liberal areas for what it really is- unobtainable goals, with the resulting penalty being increased taxes, fees and costs- all going to fund new legislation and rules for the next wave of crisis evangelism. Our electric utilities aren’t going to say a word- just agree with the regulators and enjoy the additional profits. Mobil Oil and Shell? They assuredly see reality and while investing in other technologies will remain huge corporations, shifting some of their production from fuels to plastics. Algore, john kerry, greta thunberg and many others have done extremely well pitching their narrative and live very well- jetting around the world to preach and pander for dollars at your expense. After 60 plus years of one pending climate disaster after another, we are still here. Sea level is virtually unchanged, The Arctic and Antarctic still have vast regions of ice, Vermont still has sub-zero cold days and 100 degree days. It appears that we just may have been lied to.
Yup.
Look at the 990s of the organizations promoting this, all with budgets of at least $2 million with plenty more in the bank. They get grants from funders to carry out the agendas of the funders.
Have you noticed that the month of January produced almost no brisk sunny days that solar panels and wind turbines need to operate? In fact, ISO-NE’s real time graphs showed that distributed solar was contributing less than 1/3 of a percent and wind was producing about 3% of the 12,500 megawatts of electricity being consumed when I checked 2 days ago. We will always need nuclear and fossil fuels to power the grid no matter how many solar panels and wind turbines are put up to satisfy the legislature. These reliable sources will be paid for their capacity regardless of how much power they produce because they cannot be allowed to go out or business. The legislature is forcing Vermonters to support a scam.
I repeat the legislators hate you. Will you continue to vote for them?
Were not far from the federal money, which enables all of this virtue signaling to end. Were 33/34 trillion in debt, at a point coming soon the fake dollars will stop flowing from DC. When this happens what will these people do? The tower of Babylon (Montpelier) will become a ghost town when the trough that the feeds them is empty. At that point we Vermonters will have the hard job of fixing the mess made by this crowd. Won’t be pretty, but we will be free of socialism and have to rebuild our state. Governor Herman Munster will be shown the door, as the useless fool he is.