Vermont Governor Phil Scott formally issued his veto of the Affordable Heat Act today. Supporters say the measure is critical for the state to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. But opponents, including the Republican governor, say it will not meet those goals and will make living in the state unaffordable.
On April 28th, immediately after the legislature passed S.5, the Affordable Heat Act, Governor Scott issued a statement that he would veto the measure noting, “From the start of this conversation, I have clearly, and repeatedly, said I agree we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, including in the thermal sector. However, I strongly believe the right approach is to help people make the transition, not financially punish those who cannot afford to do so.”
Scott spelled out what he wanted in a March 14th press conference.
“I want a bill to specifically say exactly what it’s going to cost and what it’s going to mean and what we’re going to look for," Scott said. "And I think it really has to be specific and go through the normal bill process and it really doesn’t say that. It says a checkback of some sort. Who knows who’s going to be here when that comes back from the PUC [Public Utility Commission]? Some of us may not be here. I may not be governor. Who knows? So that leaves it to interpretation and when you go to interpretation you have to go by the words, not what the intent was.”
Senator Rebecca White is serving her first term after two terms in the House. A member of the Natural Resources and Energy Committee, the Democrat notes this will be the second time the governor has vetoed a bill to address climate change.
“It clearly spells out the request that we got from that office to have it be a bill that is a plan, that is a study and that is not implemented," White said. "Knowing that we were getting feedback both from the administration and from our colleagues who wanted to get more fiscal analysis we chose to have this Clean Heat Standard legislation be a plan and design without implementation. We have in fact done all of the things that the governor has asked us to do in the bill. It’s very clearly spelled out.”
Vermont Natural Resources Council Energy & Climate Program Director Johanna Miller is disappointed but notes the governor has been very clear he disagrees with the bill from the Democratic-controlled statehouse.
“I’m a little confused about the governor’s veto because S.5 is a two-year process to put details around program design and examine the cost impacts and the benefits of a well-designed program and get the answers that the governor has said he would like to get, that the Legislature wants, so that they can make an informed decision in 2025 about whether or not to actually implement the program," said Miller.
Representative Gabrielle Stebbins is a Democrat who serves on the House Committee on Environment and Energy. She says there has been considerable thought put into the impact of the Affordable Heat Act on various sectors that have been addressed in the bill.
“We’ve heard concerns about farmers and off-road transportation fuel. We’ve heard concerns from folks who make our maple syrup. We’ve heard concerns about affordability, about renters, about people who live in manufactured homes, you name it. We have put all of those pieces into this bill. It’s a really thoughtful policy and we know what happens if we do nothing. Which is those who have the hardest time heating their homes really don’t have a lot of options," Stebbins said. "And that’s what this bill is supposed to do is say here is your other options.”
The bill, an outgrowth of Vermont’s 2020 Global Warming Solutions Act requiring greenhouse gas pollution cuts, states its intent is to affordably meet the “mandated greenhouse gas reductions for the thermal sector through efficiency, weatherization measures, electrification and decarbonization.”
