The following testimony (with slight edits) was submitted this week to the Vermont Climate Council by Vermonters for a Clean Environment executive director Annette Smith of Danby
I attended the first Climate Action Plan Public Outreach virtual session on April 10 and the Rutland in-person meeting on April 30. I offer these observations and comments.
The Rutland meeting was attended by about 20 people, many of whom were from Addison County, some from Chittenden County, and a few from Rutland County. It was a homogeneous group of like-minded people who reflect the opinions of conventional climate activists. The attendees were not representative of the population of Rutland County as expressed in elections. The meeting could be accurately characterized as an echo chamber, hearing from the choir.
In terms of “meeting people where they are”, hearing from people who are not “the usual suspects”, the public outreach I witnessed in the virtual hearing and in-person meetings were failures.
In an effort to provide a perspective from people who are not part of the choir and are not engaging with you, I endeavor to channel what you might hear, if you could find a way. I note these are not necessarily things that I believe or that reflect the beliefs of members of Vermonters for a Clean Environment. They are my best attempt to assemble what I hear that likely led to the election results last November, to which the Climate Council should give serious consideration.
STOP
Stop telling me where to live. People have been living in rural areas for centuries. There are old cellar holes in the hills all around me. I can’t farm or raise my own food with livestock in a compact village center in a flood zone. I provide food to people in my community. Telling everyone to move out of rural areas is insane.
Stop telling me how to live. Leave me alone. Get government out of my life.
Stop telling me what to buy. After rent, food, medications, electric, phone and fuel bills, I am more behind every month.
Stop telling me what kind of car to drive. I can barely afford my 15 year old car now. You are mandating me to replace it with a car I can’t afford and don’t want. A car I can’t charge anywhere near where I live. A car I can’t charge at my house because I don’t have adequate electric service.
Stop telling me how to heat my house. I just bought a new furnace. Now you expect me to replace it with something I can’t afford? Or, I have a really old furnace but it is working fine and I don’t have the money or want to replace it. Or, I tried to get a heat pump and it is way too expensive. Or, I tried to get my house heated with electricity and numerous contractors told me to forget it, I would need a separate unit for every room and it’s incredibly expensive. Or, I bought heat pumps I could barely afford even with rebates and they increased my electric bill so much I only use them for air conditioning. Or, my house uses a water heating system and it is really expensive to convert to electricity. Or, I can’t find an electrician, plumber or contractor.
Stop with the mandates, fees, taxes and complicated policy gimmicks.
Stop wasting tens of thousands of dollars on expensive studies and reports by consultants.
Stop making people feel guilty for taking vacations and flying on airplanes. Oh, wait, it’s the climate councilors and rich people who do that. I guess they don’t feel guilty for it, they can afford it and do whatever they want. The rest of us working stiffs go to work every day and mostly stay home but we’re the ones who have to change. Give me a break.
Stop freaking out the children. Telling our kids the world is about to end isn’t helping anyone.
START
Respecting people’s right to live how and where they choose.
Protecting our mountains from rich people developments and wind turbines.
Encouraging more local vegetables, fruits, grains, and meats.
Protecting farm fields from solar arrays.
Recognizing Vermont has the lowest emissions in the country and can’t lead the way on emissions reductions, especially when the goals that the legislature set are unrealistic.
Appreciating how the virtue signaling, social engineering with more renewable energy, electric vehicles, heat pumps is hurting poor and middle class Vermonters who do not want to or can’t take on more debt.
Assuring that money spent on climate change impacts are direct, tangible and immediate, like weatherization and bigger culverts.
Understanding that a lot of us want more places to ride our gas-powered ATVs.
Conserving uplands and supporting alternatives to pesticides so that we have clean water for drinking, fishing, swimming, boating, and tubing.
Getting the Climate Council disbanded and abolish the Global Warming Solutions Act.