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.

Lackadaisical Government and a Contractor Registry

Legislators will soon vote on an override of H.157, which would create a fee-based registry for Vermont’s small contractors, based on the theory that home improvement fraud is a massive problem and consumers don’t have a good way to protect themselves.

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Registry proves Unseriousness of Clean Heat Standard

The Legislature is doing a wonderful job of compartmentalizing problems, so sure that partisan sleepwalking is the best strategy for all kinds of political problems.

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Vermont’s first-in-the-nation "Clean Heat Standard" will increase net carbon emissions

Vermont's first-in-the-nation legislation to regulate all fossil-based home heating fuels, called the "Clean Heat Standard" (CHS), is poised to become law this month.

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The Attack on Tuition Choice

A bill making its way through the Vermont legislature is the latest attempt by the education establishment to limit or block parental choice in education  -  at a time when parents are  looking for affordable alternatives to what’s being taught to their kids in public schools. It’s the public school lobby’s response to court cases that have opened the door to children to escape from unsatisfactory public schools to more satisfying independent schools, including faith-based schools.

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WCAX features EAI research

Policy analyst David Flemming was interviewed by WCAX this week, in a segment featured on Wednesday’s 6 o’clock news. EAI had recently released research suggesting that 10 Middlebury absentee ballots from the 2020 election were submitted by individuals from out of state, either by those individuals who when they no longer residents of Vermont, or who by other individuals living at those addresses.

To watch the segment, click here.

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Senate Committee Contemplates Adding Motor Fuels to Clean Heat Standard

On Monday, the lightbulb went off over the heads of the members of the senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee that the Clean Heat Standard bill (H.715) that they are currently reviewing only deals with thermal – hence the definitive word “heat” in the name – emissions. Not transportation emissions as well. This did not go down well.

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Bill McKibben Backtracks on Nuclear

Bill McKibben, the climate activist at Middlebury College and the leader of 350.org, now appears to be tiptoeing away from his ardent anti-nuclear views of yesteryear. In a journal article that appeared two weeks ago, McKibben says this:

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Clean Heat Standard Moves to Senate

Debate over the Clean Heat Standard (CHS) bill (H.715) is now in the Senate Committee for Natural Resources & Energy, where members received their first briefings on the legislation today. The notable difference in the senate discussion compared to the house was the evident pressing by members of the Scott Administration (Ed McNamara, General Counsel, Agency of Natural Resources and TJ Poor, Director of Planning, Department of Public Service) for formalizing the need for another vote by the legislative on the final plan put forward by the Public Utilities Commission before the CHS could be implemented.

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Dr. Judith Curry on Ideal Climate

Judith Curry, longtime chair of the climate program at Georgia Tech, published an article two weeks ago that’s worth reading. Here’s an excerpt:

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