Commentary: PUC Stands for People Utterly Clueless
The legislature passed the Clean Heat Standard (S.5) into law in the Spring of this year (over the governor’s veto) with a provision that Vermonters can start banking the so-called “Clean Heat Credits” – earned by installing heat pumps, insulating buildings, etc. – retroactive to January 1, 2023. The program itself doesn’t go into full effect until 2025. So, the geniuses in Montpelier created a situation in which folks, in order to get their early credits, are supposed to somehow file paperwork that doesn’t exist with a bureaucratic entity that is not yet in place following rules that have not been written. What could go wrong?
Commentary: Conflicts of Interest in the Renewable Energy Standard Working Group
The first order of business on the agenda for the Renewable Energy Standard Working Group’s September 20 meeting was “Conflict of Interest – Discussion & Clarity.” This should be interesting, I thought to myself. What it turned out to be was ironic.
ANOTHER Vermont Futures Projects
Once again, Vermont’s future is the topic of an initiative by a high-powered collection of partners, this time under the auspices of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
A good case can be made that today is an apt time for another Futures report, hopefully free from interest group agendas. That’s because demographic trends, the COVID pandemic, a crippling flood, billions of federal dollars, a soaring homelessness problem, and the belief in a global climate emergency have put a lot of forces into motion to seek the driver’s seat for the state’s future.
Revive the Council of Censors
In the wake of American Independence, the 13 former colonies set out to fashion constitutions for their new states. So, too, did the freemen of the New Hampshire Grants, the Republic of Vermont.
At the founding convention in Windsor in 1777, the most popular constitutional model was that of Pennsylvania, adopted the preceding year. Historians refer to Pennsylvania’s as the most radical of the First Wave of constitutions, because it championed democratic rule by the people, exalted legislative power, and gave short shrift to separation of powers and checks and balances.
The EV flood car swap
Last week Gov. Scott held a news conference where he announced several steps he’s taking to assist Vermonters who have lost their vehicles to flood damage and presumably didn’t have insurance protection for the loss.
The Bizarre Montana Climate Case
The Wall Street Journal reports that “The press is cheering a group of Montana children who prevailed this week in state court with a radical new legal theory on climate change.”
The Green New Deal in NYC
This story from Bloomberg News came as no great surprise when it appeared last week:
“New York City is at risk of power outages by 2025 as rising demand amid intense heat and the push toward electrification outpace the grid’s capacity.”
The Story of Quill Hill
Last week my wife and I took a vacation to stay with long-time friends in Rangeley Lake, Maine. They insisted we go with them to a place called Quill Hill, which offered a panoramic view of the northern Maine landscape. It did, of course, but more important to me was the explanatory panels placed around the summit viewing area.
A Serious Danger: Asteroid Impact
I have long preached that one of mankind’s biggest issues is protecting our planet from an asteroid impact. Last month the Hawaii-based Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System detected an overlooked 600-foot-long “potentially hazardous” asteroid with the help of new software technology.