By Paul Bean

A bill that includes new carbon emissions reduction goals and a ‘soft repeal’ of the Clean Heat Standard yesterday was returned from the Senate floor to the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. 

S.65, a bill that would reorient Efficiency Vermont goals toward reducing carbon emissions while repealing parts of the Clean Heat Standard, was scheduled for floor discussion and vote Tuesday, but was sent back to its original committee for further consideration and discussion (after almost two weeks’ delay).

Republicans and state energy officials and utilities say the bill’s reprioritization of the state’s energy utility into a carbon reduction machine is confusing and creates expensive redundancies. Also, despite its repeal language, S.65 also maintains the CHS fuel dealer registry, albeit with a two-year implementation delay. Republicans want to see a complete repeal, unlinked to the rest of S.65’s carbon reduction goals, which they say is too reminiscent of the carbon reduction mandates in the Global Warming Solutions Act. 

One Republican senator said the bill was returned because “they [the Senate majority] didn’t have the votes” to pass the bill without risking a veto by Gov. Phil Scott. Republicans have 13 votes in the Senate, enough to avoid a veto override if all or even most of them support the governor. 

Sen. Ann Watson told VDC that S.65 was sent back to committee because of “concerns about the Efficiency Vermont part of the bill and these concerns are worth hearing more about. The PUC and many VT utilities gave testimony in multiple committees that raised questions that need more discussion.”

Two weeks ago, the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee voted out S.65. Last week, discussion and voting on the bill was delayed while Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky was travelling to Europe on behalf of ‘international solidarity’ in support of Ukraine (her family is of Ukrainian descent). Vyhovsky returned this week. 

Vermonters wishing to contact their senators about S.65 (or any other matter) may contact them via the Vermont Sgt.-At-Arms phone number of 828-2228, or via email (see list below.)

State of the Guard tomorrow evening – General Gregory Knight, Adjutant General of the Vermot National Guard, will speak tomorrow (Wednesday) at 5 PM on ‘The State of the Guard’ in the Cedar Creek Room of the State House. VDC hopes to get video footage…..

Human Rights Commission wants eight more workers, budgeted for two…. The chair of the Vermont Human Rights Commission says housing discrimination is way up. It would like eight more state employees to handle the crunch, Executive Director Big Hartman told VDC today. At present next year’s proposed budget includes two more workers. The HRC has seen increased complaints of housing discrimination due to (in order of volume) disabilities, race and color, being on public assistance, and (“coming back with a vengeance”) sexual harrassment – either directly by the landlord or by his/her unwillingness to address harassment by other tenants. 

The HRC also wants the Legislature to enshrine an Equal Protection Clause in the Vermont Constitution. According to Wikipedia, the Equal Protection Clause is part of the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The clause, which took effect in 1868, provides “nor shall any State… deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” It mandates that individuals in similar situations be treated equally by the law. A primary motivation for this clause was to validate the equality provisions contained in the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which guaranteed that all citizens would have the right to equal protection by law.

Amending the Constitution would require a resolution passed by the Senate and the House in two consecutive biennia, signed by the governor, and then approved by voters in a statewide referendum on Election Day in November. 

Vermont Senate Contact Information