All the terrors of climate change and the plight of our grandchildren were trotted out to prod the Legislature to act. What was interesting was that some of the climate warriors present weren’t too keen on what has become the centerpiece of the Climate Action Plan, the “clean heat standard.”
By John McClaughry
Three weeks ago supporters of bold action to defeat climate change, led by Bill McKibben’s 350 organization, held a rally on the State House lawn. All the terrors of climate change and the plight of our grandchildren were trotted out to prod the Legislature to act. What was interesting was that some of the climate warriors present weren’t too keen on what has become the centerpiece of the Climate Action Plan, the “clean heat standard.”
That’s the plan to jack up prices of heating oil by requiring oil distributors to pay other people to assist yet other people to stop using oil heat. Richard Cowart of the Climate Council hatched the clean heat standard when it dawned on the Vermont Climate Council members that, with the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) defunct, their grand Climate Action Plan didn’t bring in any money to pay people to fight climate change.
At the State House rally some of the protesters expressed opposition to bills they decried as “false energy solutions” — including the bill that directs the Public Utility Commission to adopt a clean heat standard.
Notable among the speakers was Liz Medina, the executive director of the State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Labor had opposed the now-dead motor fuel tax because it landed on the backs of working people getting to their jobs. Now, she said climate change solutions must not be “funded on the back of the working class,” indicating Labor’s opposition to the Clean Heat Standard as well.
Are you listening, Democrats?
John McClaughry is vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute. Reprinted with permission from the Ethan Allen Institute Blog.
Well if we had wood-fired cars this wouldn’t be a problem. But they don’t like competition, that’s what regulation is for!
Bring back wood heat – abundant in Vermont – and realize ALL living things NEED carbon to live.
What are we made of?
How can we put a tax on what we are made of?
We have been bamboozled to attack ourselves in a DISPLAY of virtue signalling over truly living over surviving.
I’ll keep my woodstove, thank you, and keep the effing middle man out of it.
I KNOW when I am being lied to.
When your protest is from 90-99% union flunkies it isn’t so much a protest as it is a
propaganda fest and were these teacher/nurses out sick for the day? Or was it a
excused absence like they give their little liberal sponges for protesting during class???
Also on the clean heat it is pure dumbazzery to tax more what has to be supplied
to the poor because they can’t afford it now… There is NO clean heat so there
shouldn’t be any such labeled bill. Fire the commies