This commentary is by Myers Mermel, president of the Ethan Allen Institute. He resides in Manchester.
Thursday afternoon I sat through the Vermont Senate debate concerning the Affordable Heat Act (“AHA”). The bill with one amendment passed through the body by a count of 19-10. However, opponents won a victory by forcing its supporters to attach an amendment which delayed a vote enacting the legislation until January 15, 2025.
Myers Mermel is president of the Ethan Allen Institute.
Any delay is a win for opponents. So, in that regard, opponents need to appreciate and thank the steadfastness and determination of Senators Brock, Collamore, Ingalls, Mazza, Norris, Starr, Weeks, Westman, Williams, and Wrenner. Watching them drill down on key issues within the bill was impressive and should give Vermonters hope for the future as long as these thinkers are present in the Senate.
But a lot had happened to get to that moment. It is clear that the education and economic analysis of the true costs and morality of the bill by the Ethan Allen Institute had an impact. The turnout of the fuel dealers and associated lobbying, led by Matt Cota, had an impact. The grassroots organizing done by Annette Smith, Alison Despathy, Karen Bufka, John LaBarge, and Wendy Wilton had an impact. And the stunning investigative journalism by Rob Roper and Guy Page also clearly had an impact.
The public pressure built by these efforts on the bill’s supporters forced them to fold and to promote the idea of a “study period” instead of calling it a mere “check back.” However, there is cause for concern about the study period. This study period establishes the first part of the expanding bureaucracy necessary to implement and supervise the program. And, of utmost concern, it only allows for the refinement of the “rules “of the program, not for any new program to take its place. The check back vote in January 2025 is for rulemaking on the legislation only. It is not a vote at that time on whether there are other solutions or other structures to solve the emission limits problem.
The reframing of this delay by supporters as a study period is misleading. The introduction of the study period appears mostly as a political calculation by the supporters. By calling it a study period, they accomplish at least four political objectives. First, they appear to be listening to concerns about the myriad unanswered questions, and they appear even handed. Second, a study period allows them to change the narrative to a favorable one over the next two years since they will control all the studies being done. Third, the study period cannot change the actual structure that the opponents dislike, it can only affect legislative “rules” around the program. Remember that rules are created in concurrence with legislative intention, and the intention is to design and implement the existing structure. Fourth, the study period gives them the opportunity to campaign on this issue and use it, like they used Prop. 5, to increase their numbers of representatives and senators. So, while they appear to have lost a battle, supporters of the bill have now cleverly turned the opposition to their advantage and are poised to ride the study period to further electoral victories in deep blue Vermont. Clever on their part, right?
The next step is for the bill to go to the House after town meeting week. We understand that there is a movement among House representatives for opponents to join with disaffected progressives who see the bill as oppressive to low and moderate people, both white and BIPOC. While incremental progress has been made in building a coalition by individual representatives, legislative leadership in the House (i.e., Minority Leader Patricia McCoy) must coalesce and support these efforts at alliance for them to become successful. If opposition leadership in the House falls short, then the bill meets with Governor Scott. He is expected to veto it. At that point, it would come back to the legislature to override or sustain the veto. Yesterday’s vote was one vote away from sustaining a veto. In the crucible of time after the veto, can one or more senators be brought to oppose the Affordable Heat Act? Or can one or more senators be convinced to support the Affordable Heat Act?
Expect utmost pressure on the ten senators who took a stand in opposition yesterday. Will opponents get to eleven senators to sustain the veto and cause the program to be rethought? No one knows. But we do know that if the opponents of the Affordable Heat Act don’t double their efforts to win over one more senator for sustaining a veto, then the bill will become law. And opponents, who yesterday won a victory, will be handed a poisoned chalice, the other name for a study period.
Concern about the environment…..
In Vermont it’s pretty well accepted that you don’t burn trash….
Yet nobody is talking about Ohio, it’s gone deadly quiet. Here’s a new story about the chemicals…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11813873/The-chemicals-released-East-Palestine-revealed-WWI-choking-agent-known-carcinogens.html
If somebody wanted to be a champion of the people, their health and the health of the planet…wouldn’t you want to talk about this?
Where is the VTGOP on this….it’s a really easy lob over home plate…..swing….you might hit it out o the park!
Could happen in Vermont…..
Vermont Republicans should be proud and rejoicing the bills their legislators are advancing, which they indirectly voted for by running candidates that stood for something.
Instead of being resentful, they should happily accept the new taxes, the new gun laws, and the further deterioration of our schools.
At least we stood for something and now we stand on the steps of the Capitol peering in through the windows.
There’s a cabal, reminiscent of Warren Jeffs, masquerading as “True Republicans” that is blurring the line between Right Wing Republican Zealots and Bigots.
Do you believe Cabal candidates stand a chance?
Primaries and Elections have consequences.
Hopefully the sheep who voted the leftist climate nazis in will come to their senses and change the makeup of the legislature before 2025. Then this do nothing bill can be buried in the scrap heap of leftist failed agenda’s. However from past experience I doubt it as the sheep voters are as brain dead as the leftist loons thinking they can save the world without getting the major co2 emitters to change. I still say the sun has more control over planet temp than plant food…
It is important the usual cast of characters, such as EAN and VEIC, etc., not perform the study, because that cast is conflicted, i.e., deeply invested in electrifying everything.
We need a panel of independent energy systems analysts and physicists, preferably retired professionals, who are financially secure, and not bribable
I keep on repeating,
CO2, at about 1.75 W/m2 driving force, is a very minor actor regarding GW.
Every physicist knows this.
Cloud cover and water vapor, aka humidity, at about 120 W/m2 driving force, is a major actor regarding keeping the world at proper temperatures.
VARIATIONS OF CLOUD COVER AND WATER VAPOR TOTALLY OVERWHELM THE PRESENCE OF CO2, which is a midget, i. e., a mere noise in the data.
Every physicist knows this.
Stop demonizing CO2
No CO2 means, no green flora, and no life
We need more CO2 to green the planet, grow crops, feed 10 billion people
CO2 is at the lowest level it has been for the past 600 million years
Apparently, all those disciples of the Climatism religion missed that science class where the importance of CO2 to the photosynthesis process was discussed. Their inflated sense of self-worth is evident when they profess that they can actually control the climate of an entire planet by their meager efforts. In the meantime, China is full steam ahead in building coal-fired generator plants. Those modern-day “Chicken Littles” would be better off spending their time and money on methods of adapting to changing climate rather than trying to control it.
They mention CO2 is the villain, whereas, it is a savior of flora and fauna, us included.
That focus is hopelessly wrong, but the brainwashed general population has been trapped to believe it is CO2, and the various hucksters are taking advantage of it, and scare-monger us into unnecessary suffering
They make a villain of CO2 because it is useful for them to get more and more subsidies to benefit themselves and screw all others
Even our RINO Governor, who should know better, is on board
I think that it’s quite interesting that these legislators believe that saving the planet means evacuating the state of their constituency- that they swore to represent.
This right here is the line in the sand for many, many people in Vermont.
There are just untold numbers of people that simply cannot afford to stay there and many that will choose stop sacrificing their own well being for an agenda that will destroy “to do good”.
Further, to see these tyrants running the state in action surely sends the clear message to get the heck out while you can.
Mr.Mermel, in explaining what is *really going on*, also illustrates why it’s time to move because no one is really safe when living under the control of thinkers like these people.
And don’t think that this is just the lower income or the retirees moving out.
This is going to be businesses that cannot afford to heat huge square footage..
Because of that cost, they certainly cannot remain competitive. They are essentially be driven out of business because we all know, it was already hard enough in such a high tax, business hostile state.
They’ll have serious problems with keeping the places staffed..
The ripple effects of this are just so far reaching.
Perhaps the most important study should be to determine the competence of the Legislature- followed by an audit to learn who got paid to push this agenda upon the people.
Laura,
Most of these Legislators do not believe anything
Their education and experience is NOT in analyzing, designing, operating energy systems
They vote the way they are told, like robots, to ADVANCE THE PARTY PLATFORM, to get along
The same is true in academia.
I know several retired physics professors who were scared s… to speak up
In the Legislature, all is PR, forked tongue window dressing
This guy has a handle on the Climate religion:
https://www.foxnews.com/media/vivek-ramaswamy-reveals-dirty-little-secret-climate-religion-power-control
That gives you almost two years to leave for a saner state.
I was born, have lived my 73 years here and had planned to eventually die here, but not by freezing to death in my own house!
Many older Vermonters like me have no children living nearby or any support network and are, as my dad was, too proud to “go on welfare”.
The super majority’s disdain for retired Vermonters is appalling.
God bless those ten senators who care about us.
“The super majority’s disdain for retired Vermonters is appalling.”
Allen,
A case could be made for genocide. And what about everyone else?
So the bill passed as we knew it would. The other “study” part is a joke. So we are as always here in VT not listened to , just jerked around . Thanks author for explaining it to people so that we see through the BS for the real guts of what they are doing.
Still screwing Vermonters