Teacher union gives F to guv’s veto of hospital cost control bill

By Guy Page

It’s been a busy week of bill signing and vetos. And the teachers’ union – big backers of the Democrat legislative majority – aren’t happy with Republican Gov. Phil Scott. 

Monday: Scott signed into law 10 bills., including streamlining the cell phone tower permitting.

Tuesday: Scott signed into law 16 bills, some of them quite controversial – including not allowing ICE to arrest illegal immigrants coming to or from court, school, hospitals, libraries or other public places. He vetoed S.190, which supporters say would have dramatically cut hospital spending. Unions for teachers and state employees pilloried Scott for whiffing on a chance to reduce health care insurance costs. Scott said the predicted savings would be less than expected and not across the board. 

His concerns were shared by affordability advocates such as Right for Vermont and Americans for Prosperity. But the Vermont NEA went scorched earth on the Affordability Governor: “By vetoing a measure that would save millions of dollars in healthcare costs – and relieve pressure on the education property tax – Gov. Phil Scott earlier today showed his affordability agenda is nothing but hot air,” Don Tinney, high school English teacher, one-time Mark Twain impersonator, and VT NEA president said in a statement.

“We can’t believe that after all of his platitudes about making Vermont more affordable, the governor said ‘no’ to saving Vermonters tens of millions of dollars and reducing pressure on education property taxes,” Tinney said. “He had a chance to show Vermonters he means what he says about affordability. He blew it.”

Wednesday: Scott signed into law 10 bills (see below), and vetoed H.710, a bill greatly desired by the renewable power industry. By redefining the definition of permitted 5 MW solar power generation facilities, it would have expanded solar siting output, and therefore the number of panels allowed on each site.

The bill states: “Multiple electricity-generating facilities, regardless of when each is constructed, shall be considered one plant if the facilities use the same electricity-generating technology and are located on the same parcel or contiguous parcels of land.”

That little change with big consequences was too much for Scott. 

“This bill is framed as a change needed to simplify the definition of a “plant,” but it goes too far,” Scott explained his veto in a letter to the Legislature. “ Its practical effect is to treat multiple renewable electricity generating facilities using the same technology and located on the same or contiguous parcels of land as a single facility, regardless of when those facilities are built. 

“This means Vermont law would encourage the expansion of existing industrial wind developments on our ridgelines in areas like Lowell, Sheffield, Searsburg, Readsboro, Milton and Georgia with fewer opportunities for scrutiny by residents.  This will also affect communities like Pownal, Manchester, and Dorset which have already seen the development of massive solar fields.”

The option to expand with less local intervention is precisely what any industry seeks from its state regulators. But that’s not what Vermont needs, Scott said:

“Working towards a cleaner and more resilient energy future is important to Vermont’s economy, security, and environmental goals. However, we must do so in a manner that respects Vermont communities and the people most directly affected by industrial energy projects.

“This is why for the last 10 years, my Administration has been clear, our local communities should be given great weight in both legislation and with the PUC when the expansion of industrial wind on Vermont’s ridgelines could be the outcome.”

Scott’s decision was praised by supporters of local control on renewable power siting, including Annette Smith of Vermonters for a Clean Environment (see her op-ed in today’s VDC). Former Lt. Gov. and budding protest song writer Brian Dubie – a longtime critic of a proposed northwestern Vermont wind turbine project – also praised Scott’s decision in a social media post. 

It is unlikely that the Republican minority would join Democrats should the majority, but not veto-proof supermajority, seek a veto override special session. 

On June 17, Scott signed these bills into law:

• H.686, expanding identification of certain lobbying advertisements
• H.757, manufactured homes and limited equity cooperatives
• H.816, regulating the use of artificial intelligence in the provision of mental health services
• H.907, legislative review of reporting requirements
• H.915, establishing an extended producer responsibility program for beverage containers
• H.928, technical corrections to fish and wildlife statutes
• H.931, miscellaneous changes in education law
• H.932, the regulation of forestry under Act 250
• H.935, emergency management
• H.952, capital construction and State bonding budget adjustment.