PASSED
in the State House of Representatives
on September 2, 2020, by a vote of
107-19
Purpose: The bill would give electric utilities like Efficiency Vermont the option to spend up to $2 million of their ratepayer-generated funds on transportation (electric cars) and heating efficiency projects, in addition to their electricity efficiency projects. This program would be allowed for limited time frame of 3 years.
Analysis: Those voting YES believe that the bill will help lower carbon emissions, by making utilities “free to innovate.” While Vermont produces a small fraction of carbon emissions, successful experiments with efficiency may be replicated across other governments, allowing Vermont’s climate programs to cause significant reduction in emissions.
Those voting NO believe this bill will increase ratepayers’ electric bills. Currently, electric utilities have a government mandated mission of reducing ratepayers’ electricity usage and the price of electricity. This bill would subvert this goal in the name of prioritizing a reduction of carbon emissions. Vermont’s utilities would be given permission to subsidize electric vehicles and raise electric rates as necessary to achieve lower emissions. Without this legislation, we could imagine a sunset on the funds taken from Vermonters and used for achieving greater efficiency. With this legislation, that sunset would disappear, leaving Vermonters with little choice but to perpetually subsidize all manner of energy projects, which will become progressively more expensive as we painstakingly shrink Vermont’s minimal carbon footprint.
As Recorded in the House Journal, Wednesday, September 2, 2020: “________.” (Read the Journal, p. 4).
How They Voted
|
Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – YES Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES Robert Bancroft (R – Westford) – NO John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – YES Lynn Batchelor (R – Derby) – NO Christopher Bates (D – Bennington) – NO Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – ABSENT Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – YES Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – NO Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – YES Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – YES Cynthia Browning (D – Arlington) – NO Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – YES Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – NO Mollie Burke (P – Brattleboro) – YES Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES William Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – NO James Carroll (D – Bennington) – NO Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (P – Middletown Springs) – YES Annmarie Christensen (D – Weathersfield) – YES Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – YES Brian Cina (P – Burlington) – YES Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES Selene Colburn (P – Burlington) – YES Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – YES Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – ABSENT Charles Conquest (D – Newbury) – NO Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – YES Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – NO Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – YES Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – NO Carl Demrow (D – Corinth) – YES Eileen Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – NO Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – ABSTAIN Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – NO Johannah Donovan (D – Burlington) – YES David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – YES Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – YES Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – NO Charen Fegard (D – Berkshire) – NO Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – NO Marianna Gamache (R – Swanton) – NO John Gannnon (D – Wilmington) – YES Marcia Gardner (D – Richmond) – YES Dylan Giambatista (D – Essex) – ABSTAIN Diana Gonzalez (P – Wioski) – YES Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – NO Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – YES Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – ABSENT James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – NO Sandy Haas (P – Rochester) – YES Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – NO James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – NO Nader Hashim (D – Dummerston) – YES Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO Matthew Hill (D – Wolcott) – YES Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – NO Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – YES Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – YES Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – YES Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – NO Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – YES Mitzi Johnson (D – Grand Isle) – PRESIDING John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – NO Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – YES Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES |
Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – YES Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – NO Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – YES Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – YES Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – NO Felisha Leffler (R – Esburgh) – NO William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – YES Emily Long (D – Newfane) – YES Terence Macaig (D – Williston) – ABSENT Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO James Masland (D – Thetford) – YES Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – YES Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – YES Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – NO James McCullough (D – Williston) – YES Francis McFaun (R – Barre) – NO Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – YES Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – NO Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – YES Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – NO Linda Myers (R – Essex) – NO Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – NO William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – NO John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES Jean O’Sullivan (D – Burlington) – YES Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES “Woody” Page (R – Newport) – NO Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – NO John Palasik (R – Milton) – NO Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – YES Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – YES David Potter (D – Clarendon) – YES Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – YES Constance Quimby (R – Concord) – NO Barbara Rachelson (D – Burlington) – NO Zachariah Ralph (P – Hartland) – YES Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – YES Peter Reed (I – Braintree) – NO Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – YES Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO Brian Savage (R – Swanton) – NO Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – YES Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – NO Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – NO Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – NO Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – YES Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – NO Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – NO Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – YES Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – YES Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – NO Mary Sullivan (D – Burlington) – YES Randall Szott (D – Barnard) – YES Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – NO Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) – NO George Till (D – Jericho) – YES Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – YES Catherine Toll (D – Danville) – YES Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – NO Maida Townsend (D – South) – YES Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES Kelly Cota Tulley (D – Rockingham) — NO Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – YES Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – YES Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – YES Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – NO David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – YES Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES Samuel Young (D – Greensboro) – YES |
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