After weeks of hard work the Vermont House passed the Global Warming Solutions Act (H.688) with a solid 105 to 37 vote. This bill, the subject of last week’s article which can be found here, is the product of the House Energy & Technology Committee chaired by Representative Tim Briglin of Thetford. It will become the foundation for Vermont’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the 2016 Paris Climate Treaty.
While the first reduction target is set for 2025 when we
require GHG emissions to be 26% below 2005 levels, we can’t assume it will
happen without further energy policy changes. These changes must include increases
in renewable energy generation beyond our current target of 75% by 2032. Since
GHG reduction will mean electrification of a major part of our transportation
and heating requirements, we need our electricity to be as carbon-free as well
as locally generated as possible. Solar and wind energy generated near the demand
for its use with energy storage capability will improve grid reliability and
efficiency and provide well-paying jobs for Vermonters. Even before the Climate
Council created by the bill develops the plan for carbon reduction, we can
directly impact GHG emissions by continuing the EV incentives and residential weatherization
assistance in the Governor’s budget.
While the Energy & Technology Committee will continue
working on energy policy, other Committees in the House are also hard at work.
Before the Town Meeting break several other committees will report out bills
that should get a lot of attention. One
bill contains revisions to Act 250 that the Natural Resources, Fish &
Wildlife Committee has been working on for two years. Another is the Senate bill
on regulation and taxation of recreational marijuana that has been under
consideration by the House Government Operations Committee since last year.
The Act 250 revision (H.926) seeks to exempt designated
downtowns from Act 250 review and modify criteria to include climate adaptation
and mitigation. A controversial
provision to create a statewide professional three-member Act 250 Review Board that
would handle all major projects was eliminated by the House Ways and Means
Committee as of this writing because of concerns that the provision would make
it harder for public participation in the process. The Natural Resources Committee
had proposed a hybrid system that would add two regional members of the project’s
District Review Board to the three-member panel for major project consideration.
Elimination of the provision reverts review back to the regional District
Review Boards while retaining the environmental-oriented and downtown
development changes.
The Cannabis Tax and Regulate bill (S.54) worked its way
through the Government Operations and Ways and Means Committees and is now in
the Appropriations Committee. The highlights of the bill’s provisions include creation
of a Cannabis Control Board which will make recommendations for any legislation
needed to implement the system starting in 2022, issue licenses, and control
advertising, product quality and testing. To protect highway safety every law
enforcement officer will receive 16 hours of training in impaired driving
assessment by the end of 2021, and the number of Drug Recognition Experts
(DREs) will be increased. Field sobriety
test results and Drug Recognition Expert evaluation results will be admissible
in court. The proposal currently includes an excise tax of 14% and the sales
tax of 6% on retail sales. Local option taxes will apply as well. The 6% sales tax will go to the Education Fund
which will help all towns.
