Gov. Phil Scott on Friday issued the following statement regarding the passing of S.5 by the Vermont House of Representatives.
“Today, the House of Representatives passed S.5, which I believe will have significant impacts on Vermonters by orchestrating a system that will give people two options: pay significantly more in fuel costs or spend thousands of dollars to install electrical heating systems, when most don’t have the financial means to do either.
“The Legislative Majority has directed the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to design a system that will require fuel oil companies to pay a penalty for every gallon of heating fuel they purchase, which will be passed on to customers.
“I am particularly concerned that the PUC plan will not be returning to the Legislature in normal bill form and go through the full legislative process and, if passed, go to the Governor for signature. An initiative with such far reaching financial impacts deserves to be fully debated in a transparent way, with the opportunity for everyday Vermonters to weigh in, and legislators being given the opportunity to improve the bill with amendments. As it is with every piece of legislation, the executive branch should be able to provide input, as well.
“Proponents of the bill have argued nothing will move forward without future legislative approval. They also say ‘this is essentially a study.’ Both of these statements are misleading.
“For example:
- Effective on passage, the Clean Heat Standard is established and the Commission shall adopt rules and may issue orders to implement and enforce the Clean Heat Standard Program.
- The first registration deadline for fuel dealers is January 31, 2024, before this ever comes back to the Legislature.
- The Commission is given enforcement authority from day one. They can issue orders to implement the system and enforce those orders.
- Before this ever comes back to the Legislature, the Commission must designate the first default delivery agency on or before June 1, 2024. This contract may be as long as 12 years.
- The House version specifically provides that the requirement for rulemaking to come back to the Legislature will have no impact on the ability of the Commission to issue orders and take other actions to implement and enforce the Clean Heat Standard.
- Even assuming rulemaking is approved, this bill would allow the Commission to amend its rules by order, and not be subject to the public review of a rulemaking process. Orders can only be appealed to the Supreme Court.
“If the Legislature was serious about S.5 being a study, the language would be clear and there would be no debate about it. In case it’s not abundantly clear, my opposition to this bill has nothing to do with the overall goal to reduce emissions, it has everything to do with protecting Vermonters and legislative transparency.
“I appreciate the Republicans, Democrats and independents who made their voices heard on the floor and standing up for their constituents, not special interests. ”
The comments below should be shoved in the face of every leftist hack in the state government and legislature who are pushing this abomination of a bill which will accomplish absolutely NOTHING. They should all have to read them all out loud until the ringing issue of we can’t afford this to make you feel like your doing something sinks in. If they still don’t get it proceed with repeated beatings with the hickory stick over the noggin.
Okay, I just read all the comments and I agree we can’t afford any of this. While you are all begging the governor to veto this bill I ask, who did you vote for? Did you expect that your democrat or progressive representative was going to have a change of heart, reject the lobbyist money, understand that your old democrat party no longer exists. That maybe it’s time to try something new like throwing these people out of office? This abomination doesn’t fully go into effect until 2025. In 2024, we have an opportunity to vote each and every one supporting of this out of office. If we follow through and do just that, this law and all the unconstitutional laws they have passed can be repealed. You all voted for this governor, then you voted in a super majority of out of state grifters to oppose the governor. For Gods sake and ours, wake up! Turn off WCAX, Fox 44, Cancel Vtdigger and NPR, PBS and stop contributing to VPIRG and all those Non-government lobbying groups that have brought this ruination to our once great state. It is the voting public that has made this possible and we have the power at the ballot box to stop it cold. Talk to everyone you know that will be hurt by this. Do your job if you want to turn this state around. It’s the voter’s fault, now go about correcting it or shut up and exist as a slave to the progressive agenda destroying life in Vermont.
What is wrong with our legislators? They want folks to use heat pumps. Heat pumps work most of the time and I’m myself for them but they just cant be the sole source of heat on those cold days like we had a couple months ago. Im speaking from personal experience. Who would fix and pay for frozen pipes when heat pumps fail to got above 32f. Governor Scott, please veto the bill.
Unfortunately, Governor Scott is not a dictator who can simply veto any bill he doesn’t like. He intends to veto S.5. Then S.5 goes to the Senate, where his veto will either be sustained or overridden. One more vote is needed there to sustain, so please contact your state Senator because THEY have the power to kill the bill, OR send it to the House for a likely override (five more House votes needed to sustain the veto).
You must already have electric heat, live in your big house in the suburbs, and I’m sure youre a SAHM, who feels the need to weigh in here. You obviously have no idea how hard it is to currently afford heating oil, with the price of this oil already almost doubled.
We installed heatpumps last fall they worked good down to 15 below still had to use our furnace some might put pumps in the rest of our house but cost might stop us we both are retired this crap must stop!!!
Senator MacDonald will be at the next “Wheels for Warmth” event handing out FEMA blankets and hot cocoa.
For those of you that voted for the socialists democrats that are in Montpelier deserve who they voted for. They those in Montpelier are outsiders who do not represent Vermonters. I was born and raised here am a US veteran and will not afford the high cost for heat pumps propane. They (those in Montpelier) have destroyed Vermont I am planning to move its time the real Green Mountain Boys revolt and kick the SO* out older Vermonters those on fixed income will be unable to afford. Is there anyone who can save us????
What in the world is wrong with lawmakers, it’s all about money, money that they make, law.akers can afford all this but normal people don’t, if this state wants less people that work hard and more welfare your doing one hell of a job, you should all be proud of yourselves. This government makes me want to puke, this government hasn’t given a s— about its people for a very very long time now , nothing but greed , you make me sick
This bill needs to be vetoed. Inflation is so high now we are living on the edge. Our electrical grid can’t take care of enough electricity to supply this to everyone. I’ve seen two places to charge electric vehicles in my area, another pipe dream. I’m putting in a heat pump this spring for AC not to heat my home. We are lifelong Vermonters ready to leave.
Our prices are high enough with inflation. We can’t afford this bill. The Governor is against it. We should have recourse to vote on this bill.
I say if Vermont wants us to go green then the state should pay for it all. How do they think we are going to afford new heating systems when we struggle to buy groceries and everything else just to live. Politicians are really not understanding what it is like for the average American who works there butts off and can barely make ends meet. No worries for them their pockets are lined with money.
It’s SO AMAZING to me with Town Taxes and School Taxes that Now a TAX on Fuel is going up Because Most of us Retired People and other families live on $60,000. and Under a Year and we can’t afford to put in Clean Heating Systems because it would be Way to Expensive and Now we will be taxed $500 + on Fuel , Gas , and Oil to Survive Vermonts
Winters … NOT OKAY …
So Vermonters have 3 choices:
1) pay the high tax for fuel and choose what other things they can do without
2)take out a loan to afford the electric heat pump meanwhile the electric bill won’t be much cheaper than the fuel
And need to put in a generator to heat their homes because we all loose power every winter
3) move because Vermont is to rural to find solid paying jobs to live here
I’m sure the Majority of the people voting on this makes an annual salary that far exceeds the average Vermonter. Since when did it become a penalty to the heating companies to supply a necessity for living in this state. Since the ” Pandemic” legislature has done nothing but force People to do as they”command” People shouldn’t be
forced to make these choices. Land of the Free????? Not anymore
Five years ago I had to remove three oil tanks from my basement and replace with one tank because of a mandate. Mind you, none of them were leaking! Then I had to replace my furnace at a cost of about $20,000. Now you expect me to retro fit my house to use only electricity for heat and hot water? Or pay higher fuel prices which are already high. Is Vermont ready to subsidize those who have to change systems ? Typical of the State to make laws and rulings without first having the infrastructure ready to deal with new actions. Where is all this electricity supposed to be coming from? What a drain on a system that sees power outages in winter and during storms! Poor planning!!
Vote no to this bill, we can’t afford any more crap than we have right now.
How do they expect you to pay for more for heat when we’re paying out the nose for the groceries in the fuel oil and already gasoline is back going up to $4 oil company greed if you ask me there’s no me shortage there’s no problem with me companies they could lower their prices but they’re throwing money all over their bed and rolling in it greed another corporate greed what do you think the state of Vermont is going to encourage except for people moving out of state
These same people shut down rather than to update nuclear energy, and they sold our hydro to Canada… Now they want us to “save money” by funding China and the CCP? Brilliant!
…and I neglected to mention: they are selling their products, produced using our oil, purchased from our Strategic Reserve, at a discounted price… When will the stupidity end?
I am a senior citizen who lives in a double wide mobile home as my retirement home. I can not find the extra money to install a heat pump to replace my excising propane fuel source. I do ck around each year to get the lowest price of propane. I also save enough to pre buy which has been lower. A lot of my I am 84 years young and a lot of my friends do not know or understand the Affordable Heat Act and what it means,nor the impact it will have on them. Please put out more info to the public and seniors. Thank you. Betty Roy
After reading the above comment by Mrs. Roy, I am brokenhearted. Vermont seniors are among the sweetest and kindest people I have known, and the Democrats are attacking them as brutally as if they had planned to bulldoze their homes in the middle of winter. Anyone who reads the above and can still support S.5 — remember, thousands of messages like it have been sent to our elected officials — has no heart to break. Please support Phil Scott’s veto of this cruelly cynical legislation.
If they are seriously going to pass this out of touch legislation I’m moving my family out of this Poverty with a view State and going South or West anywhere that’s doesn’t have insane liberal green thumb activists trying to shove their beliefs down our throats.
If you haven’t figured it out I can’t afford a HVAC system and they don’t heat well,I had one in NC, it blows cold air like I want AC in the winter if I did I would have just opened a window. Oh and don’t forget your electric bill please add 200 more a month than your currently paying, and the hilarity of it is all our power comes out of Canada because the nuclear power plant in Brattleboro was bad, unlimited power bad coal good, plastic bad, cutting downs trees for paper bags good. These Vermont politicians are INSANE!!
You need to veto this. You need to take care of the elderly, they’re not going to be able to afford this.
I’m sorry gov. Scott that you have to work so hard to protect our born vermonters to keep the regime that has moved here, to keep them under control for their lack of common sense. For us to help climate change, vermont does not equal a speck of fly poop on the wall compared to the rest of the world. The average vermont families make enough only to make ends meet if they can. Thank you.
I am gobsmacked by how out of touch our representatives are with the reality of most Vermonters. We are a very small state in this nation, and globally speaking have the smallest impact/carbon foot print in almost the entirety of the planet, yet our “representatives” insist on continuously making life more and more unaffordable under the guise of being clean. Our “representatives” seem to be speaking for a very few while continuously burdening the middle class. Our backs our breaking under this idealism that in no way speaks to the majority.
Heat pumps(electric heat) does not work well below 20 degrees .We had our home assessed a few years ago by Green Mountain power,they said the application would not work well in our home and to stick to fuel! We do not have the technology to go electric at this time.
I wish elected officials would do their homework before trying to make crazy laws that hurt most.
I agree with you totally. This bill will do nothing but drive more young people to flee the state. Retirement by older workers will also be a factor in people leaving the state. Only the rich politicians will be able to stay.
“Our representatives “ are not representative of us. These political elitists instead represent an ideology and those that fill their campaign coffers with cash. Democrats and progressives seek power and use money to get it. Vermont’s current batch of D/P politicians have achieved permanent power, by way of now controlling elections and ideology in state and local government.
S.5 never had much to do with climate, only with retaining power for those that worship power.
Have faith, these corrupt demagogues will fail, as they bring Vermont’ economy and people to failure with them. Problem is, little will remain after they fail.