Environmental regulators in Vermont will meet today to review Ryegate Associates’ plans to produce 90,000 tons of wood pellets in an effort to recover excess heat generated during biomass electricity production.

Under state law, Ryegate Associates is required to increase its efficiency by 50%.

The Ryegate power plant generates 20 megawatts of electricity, second only to the McNeil biomass-burning power plant in Burlington. (The state does have some ‘peaker’ power plants to burn fossil fuels in times of extremely high demand.)

The Natural Resources Board, which reviews Act 250 land use applications, plans to evaluate the project’s impacts to traffic, air quality, and aesthetics. It also will review its conformance with the town and regional plans.

The Ryegate Planning and Zoning Board approved the project in a 9-0 vote following a hearing earlier this month.

The NRB will conduct a site visit this morning before holding a public hearing in St. Johnsbury this afternoon. – Journal Opinion

Two cops decertified for sexual misconduct – The Vermont Criminal Justice Council announced yesterday that two Vermont police officers shall not be allowed to work for any Vermont policy agencies due to their sexual misconduct.

Steven Bunnell, a former Caledonia County deputy sheriff, pleaded guilty in Vermont court in 2022 to receiving nude photos of women via cellphone, in exchange for favors. Lance Martel, formerly of the Essex Junction Police Department, was found to have committed an act of voyeurism following an internal affairs investigation. Martel is banned for seven years, Bunnell for life. 

‘Restoring Our Faith’ speakers join federal free speech case – Former Restoring Our Faith Summit speakers, Drs. Aaron Kheriaty, Jay Bhattacharya, and Martin Kulldorff joined two others as well as the states of Missouri and Louisiana in a case against the federal government for suppression of free speech on social media.Their case argues that the federal government coerced social media companies to silence the accounts of these users because they posted views that the government did not agree with, including opinions on lockdowns, vaccinations, and COVID mandates.

The Restoring Our Faith summit is held annually in South Burlington. Kheriarty and Bhattacharya spoke at the 2022 conference. 

The Brief of Respondents and overview commentary on Missouri V. Biden, written by Kheriaty, notes that “the current attacks on free speech are not limited to the U.S.: this is clearly a global phenomenon. One reason why our case is so important is that the First Amendment provides the strongest free speech protections of any Western nation: if we cannot defend this right here, it will be harder for others to defend it abroad.”

“Free speech is frighteningly under attack in our very own communities. It is easy to believe that the government will always defend free speech because it is written into our Constitution. As Dr. Kheriaty points out, ‘the First Amendment is merely words on a piece of paper if Americans do not defend it from governmental assault,’” ROF founder Lenore Broughton said. 

“The fact that this censorship case is appearing before the U.S. Supreme Court proves that we are indeed witnessing governmental assault on our free speech,” Broughton said.