Issue Position: On POWER and Local Initiatives

Issue Position

Most of the last decade, discussion of energy issues has focused upon two significant aspects of our systems. Vermont Yankee (VY) and wind farms. Now, energy independence, peak oil bubbles and fracking residuals are intertwined with clean ground water and a new market that sees OUR resources being redirected to other countries-creating higher prices for Propane and other sources. Energy is complicated, and global warming is the elephant in the room. Some would like to ignore or delay dealing with that issue, but unfortunately mother nature has other ideas.

Just as we were forced to deal with the Love Canal in the name of our children, we must also identify and resolve the impact our ever increasing consumption of Carbon will have and is having. I do not think responsible government can identify major issues and simply ignore them.

For a new legislator, VY has effectively been removed from discussion by the Federal Court ruling on a case decided last year. Additionally, a decision by the Douglas administration several years ago to not raise permit issue regarding the spent fuel storage in a timely fashion has effectively rendered action by our legislature a non-player in future VY discussions.

For me, as an individual who experienced Three Mile Island from a distance of about 60 miles, sitting back and accepting the Federal "hands off" edict is just not going to happen. We may not be able to dictate a closure date or anything to do with the storage of spent fuel, but to the issues we DO have governance, like pollution of our streams or ground water, or other areas, we must remain on top of the game. I pledge to make every effort to insure the owners and operators of VY are in compliance with all regulations and given the opportunity, that we move aggressively to insure compliance. Maintenance of the facility is of utmost importance if safety is to be insured and delivered.

WIND POWER is another hot button issue for many Vermonters. Unfortunately at this point, our world runs mostly on the conversion of fossil fuels into other energy. Nuke plants and to a vastly smaller degree--solar, being the exception to that general rule.

Wind is a complicated issue. Many rightly state that Vermont is a brand, and the currency of that brand is our people, our towns, our lakes and our mountains. They are correct on all counts. The other side of the discussion is that we need power. Due to "whatever", VY power is heading out of state, while we import from a relatively clean-production wise, but very environmentally insensitive gargantuan Hydro project in Canada. Enter wind.

Fundamentally, we as Vermonters need to make a decision. Do we move to a portfolio of power that is renewable and likely significantly more expensive, and/or continue to be dependent upon our friends to the North as they push upon Native populations with an ever increasing shore line? Do we move more in a direction of large land based solar arrays, which are themselves subject to discussion and NIMBY attitudes??

At this point I do not advance a definitive answer. However, we must continue to replace the VY power we moved away from in the last few years, hopefully with a combination of domestic renewable as well as the less expensive Hydro. I would like to suggest that as Vermonters, we could also take on an alternate approach demonstrating some Vermont ingenuity and resourcefulness. Solar panels!

Your roof-what to do about it? In the summer, it heats up our attic and usually then the bedroom. In the winter, we shovel it, not unlike we do everything else from time to time. When I represented Ward 7 as a member of the Burlington School Board, we had a discussion with Burlington Electric on the installation of Solar Panels on top of Burlington High School. Although engineering decided the weight load would be to great in the winter, the IDEA is a valid one.

Many great rivers are created by the smallest drops of rain. I would propose that either on a state or city level, that we make solar panels and their installation a priority for our state via a program whereby the Panels are provided AT COST by a government program that manages the purchase of the latest technology, and coordinates/supports dedicated teams of installation professionals-for willing homeowners. This program would turn each and every appropriate rooftop into a mini generating site, and ease the burden on our environment and wallets. Buying panels in large bulk orders should provide the best prices for consumers and the satisfaction of seeing your own electric bill go DOWN due to your contributing power back INTO the grid is a smile producer. Add in a tax credit for your efforts and it sounds like a viable program that will assist us for the next decade or two.

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