The EAI Blog is a forum for our members and followers to post and share a variety of perspectives on topical issues. We encourage diverse, and civil debate. These opinions do not necessarily reflect the position of the Institute.

Another Heat Pump Report

The Vermont Climate Council wants us all to keep warm with electric heat pumps, to defeat the menace of climate change. Here’s another report from a heat pump user to keep in mind.

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Dairy Pricing Blind Spot

     Kevin McCallum’s [Seven Days] article on dairy pricing (“Milk Check”, Jan. 18) is well written save for one crucial thing. Kevin explains that government-forced over-order pricing for milk will likely make Vermont’s value added dairy products industry less competitive in national and world markets. But he has an enormous blind spot about the central question: who is going to get hit with the higher prices?

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Costs of heat pumps- one Vermont experience

Here’s an interesting letter that appeared in the Caledonian Record a week ago, from a man who I don’t know,  Jonathan Baker of Danville. He writes this from his own experience

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Senator Bray Laments “fear and misunderstanding”

Senator Chris Bray, Democrat of Addison, is chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. It’s the body – composed of five willing Democrats and no skeptical Republicans – that has generated the Affordable Heat Act, so I pay attention to what he says.

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School Choice Advances (elsewhere)

Here’s a newsworthy item from the Wall Street Journal:

“In Little Rock, [Arkansas] new Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is following through on her reform promise after bringing on a member of Florida’s successful education team as her education secretary. On Thursday the state Senate passed a bill for education savings accounts on a 25-7 vote”.

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Ethan Allen Institute’s 30th Jefferson Day Event

“Thomas Jefferson and the Curse of Slavery” is the theme of the Ethan Allen Institute’s 30th Jefferson Day Event. It will feature a showing of the second half of Ken Burns’ acclaimed PBS documentary on Thomas Jefferson’s life with a focus on how, over the years, the Apostle of Liberty finally reached a troubled standoff with slavery in the early years of the new nation.

Make your reservations here.

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Myers Mermel Discusses the Affordable Heat Act on Vermont Viewpoint

On Wednesday February 22, EAI President Myers Mermel discussed the the Affordable Heat Act on Vermont Viewpoint. You can listen to the show here.

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PR: The Affordable Heat Act Offers No Savings- Ever

Implementation of the Affordable Heat Act (“AHA” or S.5) requires significant upfront investment across the households of 60% of all Vermonters, those who currently depend on heating fuel to warm their homes. This cost will likely be over $5 billion dollars- more than twice the $2 billion dollars estimated by the Agency of Natural Resources and the Vermont Climate Council, even after $380 million in state and federal funding is included. This $5 billion cost to provide weatherization, heat pumps, and heat pump water heaters, will mostly be borne by low and moderate income Vermonters, those who primarily use heating fuel. The Affordable Heat act will be the largest and most expensive social program ever paid for by Vermonters.

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Affordable Heat Act: Between Scylla and Charybdis

Below is the written testimony given by Ethan Allen President Myers Mermel on the topic of the Affordable Heat Act before the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee on February 16th.

Click here to view.

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Spirit of America

As some of you may recall, I have for several years offered my prime candidate for a nonpartisan nonpolitical charitable contribution: Spirit of America.

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