The Vermont Climate Council will meet Monday. Despite receiving multiple nominations and applications, the Speaker of the House has not filled the vacant “Fuel Sector” position as called for in the Global Warming Solutions Act.
I was greatly encouraged to have heard a recognition by many of the imperative for us — in these difficult days particularly — to collaborate with those “across the aisle.” But I also heard some leading voices call for a “doubling down” in terms of a more partisan agenda. This worries me.
If Vermont waits to address the reduction of gas emissions for another year, so be it. It will not make an iota of difference to the world’s effort to reduce such emissions. But, it will make life for tens of thousands of Vermonters less stressful.
The ordinance committee in Vermont’s largest city met last night to discuss whether or not they can ban new fossil fuel infrastructure.
The Vermont Fuel Dealers Association has hired an attorney to investigate whether a Vermont municipality can legally ban oil and gas burners or enact a fee that would make it prohibitively expensive to install one. According to this memo from the city of Burlington, under the draft ordinance a new hotel that wants to heat with gas would have to pay an estimated $200,000 for a permit.
