Vermonters are increasingly concerned about climate change. Anxiety about energy consumption, ridge top wind farms and large solar arrays is becoming more prevalent. The sale of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and the expansion of the Addison County natural gas pipeline have caused considerable consternation. A good place to start would be to ask, “What sort of an energy mix do we have in Vermont and how is it regulated?” Utility regulation in Vermont began in 1855 with the appointment of the state’s first Railroad Commissioner. Electric company regulation began in in New York in 1882 with Thomas Edison’s first commercial electric company when he was granted a franchise to use public rights
It was early May. The legislature had passed a budget that not only kept spending growth to 1.3%, it also refrained from raising taxes. The governor's response was: veto. He demanded that the State impose budgetary constraints on local school districts. After adjourning, the legislature got called back into session to address a manufactured budgetary crisis. Sound familiar? That was the scenario that played out in 2017. And it's being repeated again this year. Last year, the governor issued the second budget veto in VT's history. This year he has taken sole possession of first place among VT governors by issuing his second budgetary veto, and the third in the 227-year history of our
The General Assembly adjourned sine die ("without day") on Sunday, May 13th at 12:18am. A sine die adjournment is the formal signal from the legislature that our work is done for the term. Governor Scott disagreed. The governor signaled his displeasure with the legislature's budget by calling the General Assembly back to a Montpelier for a Special Session starting today. The governor will likely veto the budget in the next few days, and the budget is one piece of must-pass legislation for the year. For some perspective on how we got here, I offer these three links: Public Assets Institute on May 9th Addison Independent on May 14th Seven Days Vermont on May 16th Legislative tidbit: A Spe
