By Keith Whitcomb Jr.
RUTLAND HERALD
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Say hello to the first edition of the Vermont Climate Action Plan.
The plan’s adoption by the Vermont Climate Council was announced Wednesday. Under the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act, the plan must be updated every four years. It can be found at climatechange.vermont.gov. It’s not to be confused with the Comprehensive Energy Plan, which is in draft form and taking public comment.
“A talented, passionate and highly motivated group of Vermonters came together late last year to form Vermont’s Climate Council and draft this initial Climate Action Plan,” stated Julie Moore, secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), who sat on the council’s steering committee. “The recommendations put forward in the Vermont Climate Action Plan reflect the collective work of the Vermont Climate Council, its five subcommittees, and ideas and feedback from the public.”
According to the ANR, the Global Warming Solutions Act was passed in 2020. It created the council and charged it with adopting the Climate Action Plan by Dec. 1, 2021. The plan outlines 26 “pathways for action” calling for things like weatherizing homes and increasing the usage of electric vehicles. It also contains recommendations for investments to allow home and business owners to relocate and avoid hazards spurred by climate change, and maintain farms and forests. Beside the 26 pathways, the nearly 300-page document contains 64 strategies and 230 specific steps to meet the goals of the Global Warming Solutions Act.
Among the other things the plan calls for are shifting away from fossil fuels and equipment dependent on those fuels, incentivizing development that preserves open, green spaces, creating infrastructure for walking, biking and public transportation, investing in agricultural land and encouraging farming practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, planning for the impacts of climate change on communities, and having more climate education programs.
The plan’s adoption was welcomed by many.
“Today, I want to take a moment to recognize and thank all the Vermonters who contributed hours of their time as well as their expertise serving on the Climate Council,” stated Lt. Gov. Molly Gray. “We’re lucky to have so many Vermonters from all corners of our state, from different backgrounds and experiences, stepping up to lead and contribute to a plan for Vermont’s future. The Climate Council’s recommendations backed by potential federal funding and climate initiatives in the Build Back Better bill could give our state a historic chance to make a down payment on a cheaper, more resilient and independent energy future for every Vermonter. The Climate Council’s plan is a necessary start but there is lots of work still to be done and we all will have a role to play.”
Some had been eager for action to be taken soon.
“The climate crisis is putting Vermont’s communities at risk as we speak,” stated Elena Mihaly, vice president of Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) Vermont. “The Climate Action Plan is a huge first step in slashing polluting emissions, building smarter, and prioritizing communities overburdened by climate impacts. We’ll be pushing to make sure the implementation of the plan prioritizes cleaning up our transportation systems and transitioning to truly clean heat and electricity. Our homes, land, and critical resources can’t wait.”
Chase Whiting, an attorney on the clean energy and climate change team at CLF, said the organization was involved in getting the Global Warming Solutions Act passed and offered routine comments in the creation of the Climate Action Plan.
“I think that there are some really promising aspects of the Climate Action Plan that we’re excited to see, and I think for all of them there’s additional work that needs to be done, and so we’re excited for this first step, which is a good and strong first step, and we are excited and hopeful for subsequent steps that are required,” he said. “In particular, there is a recommendation to create a 100 percent clean or renewable energy standard in Vermont where all of Vermont’s electricity, 100 percent of it, would either come from clean, renewable energy sources. And that’s a very important and hopeful policy proposal.”
The elements of equity contained in the plan that address the issues faced by low-income, rural and BIPOC Vermonters were praised by CLF as well, but more work is needed there.
“We’re really heartened to see that discussion, but a lot of work remains to be done there and in terms of actually conducting the type of equity assessments that are necessary to make sure that the policies that are contained in the Climate Action Plan when implemented are going to result in an equitable outcome for low-income Vermonters, rural Vermonters and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) Vermonters,” he said.
Efficiency Vermont, a state utility tasked with improving energy usage, was also happy to see the plan released.
“We appreciate the hard work that has gone into the creation of this important plan,” stated Carol Weston, director of Efficiency Vermont, in a news release. “As the state’s energy efficiency utility for the past 20 years, our work has long been aligned with the reduction of (greenhouse gas) emissions and the need to act urgently.”
A number of environmental groups commented on the plan Wednesday, many saying the plan is a good first step but more needs to be done, and soon.
“While (Renewable Energy Vermont) is encouraged that the Council acknowledged the need to move toward a future where 100 percent of Vermont’s electricity comes from carbon-free or renewable resources, we believe further action is needed now to combat the climate crisis,” stated Peter Sterling, interim executive director at Renewable Energy Vermont, adding that the state’s goals must be in line with the principles of the Paris Accord, an international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
“And that should require 100 percent of Vermont’s electricity coming from renewable resources by 2030 with much higher requirements for newly built renewables than we have today, including at least 25 percent of that energy coming from clean, reliable and resilience-creating in-state renewable energy sources,” Sterling said.
Not everyone praised the plan, however. While 350VT was supportive of it on the whole, it felt that there were some gaps and loopholes in the document that should raise concerns.
“We know it’s a start but there’s a lot more to be done,” said Vanessa Rule, lead organizer for 350VT. “One of the real issues with the way it was developed was that it didn’t really adequately engage the public, and so we are very concerned that a lot of the things put in place are going to be working for the utilities and putting decisions in the hands of utilities at the expense of everyday Vermonters.”
She said whatever is put in place needs to be financially accessible to low income and rural Vermonters.
“And then another really foundational piece is that there is no accounting of our greenhouse-gas emissions right now. We’re not counting out-of-state emissions and so that makes it really hard to assess solutions to determine the impacts of what we choose to do in reaching the goals,” said Rule. “We see that as a way to set up loopholes for the utilities to continue to basically sell some of the renewable energy that’s generated in the state to buy dirtier energy for profit for themselves, and that is going to prevent us from doing the full transition that we needed to make.”
keith.whitcomb @rutlandherald.com
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