Vermont Governor Phil Scott used his weekly briefing Wednesday to call on the Democratically-controlled state Legislature to consider the costs of a proposed Clean Heat Standard.
Scott, a Republican, opened his briefing with a brief review of housing bills that he urged the legislature to address last week.
“This week the House is set to pass H.687 a conservation bill that in my opinion will actually make it harder to build housing in most areas of the state. Also this week, House Appropriations is trying to figure out how to fill a gap they created in the BAA and it looks like housing investments could be on the list of cuts. If that turns out to be the case then maybe they’re saying housing isn’t the crisis they campaigned on.”
The BAA is the Budget Adjustment Act. Scott then moved his focus to legislative actions he contends could impact the state’s affordability.
“Unlike last year they’re not talking about raising taxes and fees for a new benefit. They’re talking about raising them to fill budget gaps they created after overspending last year. We’re already one of the highest taxed states in the nation. And let’s not forget Vermonters are also about to face a historic property tax increase all while people and businesses are paying 20% more at the DMV this year. On top of that, in the not-too-distant future, Vermonters could pay hundreds or thousands of dollars more per year to heat their homes with the Clean Heat Standard. The Renewable Energy Standard bill that’s moving through the House this week could cost ratepayers hundreds of millions over the next ten years.”
The Vermont Department of Public Service spent a year-and-a-half creating a plan that the administration says meets the goals of the Renewable Energy Standard Bill faster and at less cost than legislative proposals. Department Commissioner June Tierney says their proposal has been set aside by House committees in lieu of a legislatively drafted bill.
“Vermonters want to do the right thing to combat climate change but in a way that they can afford. H.289 as presently drafted does not meet that standard. Not when the department has a proposal on the table that is more affordable following 18 months of talking to Vermonters about what they want their energy policy to look like. As we consider the cost of updating the Renewable Energy Standard in 2024 we need to keep in mind that these costs would come on top of the costs Vermonters are already paying for the existing Renewable Energy Standard that became law in 2015.”
Last week Vermonters qualifying for a hotel-motel winter shelter program had to leave their rooms. Although some communities expressed concern about late notification regarding the need to provide shelter, Governor Scott said the process went well.
“From a planning perspective it went fairly well. In a matter of two to three weeks we were able to put together four emergency shelters. We didn’t receive a lot of intake In terms of communication, I know that there was some concern over that. But what we were trying to do is help those communities. We didn’t know what to expect when we knew that we were going to go to the inclement weather provision which would mean somewhere between four and five hundred people would be not eligible for the program, the GA (General Assistance) program. Another 12-to 15-hundred are still in the program.”
