It’s been more than a
month since Town Meeting, and oh, what a month!
In past years I published the results of the Legislative Survey, which
140 Charlotters filled out this year, within a week or two of the meeting. This year we have all been preoccupied with
something else called COVID-19. Unfortunately, that little problem has sucked
all the oxygen out of the legislative chamber and reset our priorities for the
rest of the session, rightfully so. Nevertheless, I appreciate everyone who
took the time to fill out the survey.
While we are
now focused on one existential crisis, the novel Coronavirus pandemic which is
an immediate threat, we mustn’t forget about the other existential crisis of
climate change. Ironically, the former
crisis is having a mitigating effect on the latter. The abrupt and broad
economic shutdown is resulting in a significant reduction in transportation fossil
fuel consumption, which had been the largest contributor to greenhouse gas
emissions in Vermont and the United States. I think we could all agree that
this is not the way we would have liked the reduction to occur. (Is Mother
Nature telling us something?) A
preferable approach would have been a controlled reduction by making a conscious
choice to wean ourselves off fossil fuels by transitioning to cleaner electric
energy with incentives to do so. That,
however, would require what I consider to be a small sacrifice in the cost of
transportation and heating fuels to generate revenues for weatherizing homes,
electrifying transportation, and actually saving consumers money in the long
run.
Three of the
questions in the survey tried to assess the support for that approach in our
community. While 90% of respondents consider climate change to be an important
problem, only 76% seemed willing to spend an extra 2 cents per gallon to
generate revenues that could be reinvested in fossil fuel reduction. While 78 cents of every dollar spent on
fossil fuels, or $1.95 of every gallon, leaves the state, the 2 cents per
gallon would generate $15M that would be spent in-state.
There’s pretty
strong support for a tax and regulate system for recreational marijuana sales,
but Charlotters are pretty evenly divided (39% Yes, 37% No) on whether we
should allow sales in Charlotte. A significant percentage (24%) were undecided.
Establishing a
Paid Family Leave Insurance Program for employees was favored by a 3 to 1
margin, with 11% not sure. Ironically, the COVID-19 relief package passed by
Congress contains funding for paid family leave during the emergency. This
could be a catalyst for continuation of the program beyond the emergency.
Because the
efficiency of the country’s vehicle fleet has been increasing as a result of
the EPA vehicle efficiency standards, which the current EPA just set aside, the
state Transportation Fund has experienced a decline in revenues. There is less
money each year to support our roads and bridges, including municipal
infrastructure. Increasing the gas tax, a move supported by the Vermont League
of Cities and Towns, would help fund municipal roads. Slightly more than half of respondents are
willing to pay 4 cents more per gallon for this.
Finally, there
is strong support for banning flavored vaping products, which appeal to young
users and increase addiction to nicotine after decades of successful reductions
in youth smoking rates. I included the last two questions regarding composting
and appeal of electric vehicles to assess respondents’ attitudes on those
policies.
Q#
|
Question
|
Yes %
|
No %
|
Not Sure %
|
1
|
Is climate
change an important issue for you?
|
90
|
8
|
2
|
2
|
Are you
aware that 78 cents of every dollar spent on fossil fuels (gasoline, natural
gas and heating oil) leaves Vermont?
|
25
|
67
|
8
|
3
|
Would you support
a 2 cent per gallon increase on fossil fuels to support programs in Vermont
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the major contributor to climate change?
|
76
|
19
|
5
|
4
|
Do you
support a tax and regulate system for recreational cannabis (marijuana) sales?
|
69
|
20
|
11
|
5
|
Should Charlotte
allow recreational marijuana sales in town?
|
39
|
37
|
24
|
6
|
Should Vermont
establish a Paid Family Leave Insurance Program for all employees with a 0.2%
premium payroll deduction (20 cents per $100 of wages)?
|
67
|
22
|
11
|
7
|
Would you be
willing to pay 4 cents more per gallon of gasoline to maintain municipal
roads?
|
54
|
36
|
15
|
8
|
Should flavored
vaping products be prohibited in Vermont?
|
83
|
9
|
8
|
9
|
Do you
compost or pay a hauler to compost your household organic waste?
|
77
|
21
|
2
|
10
|
Do you own
or are you considering buying an electric vehicle (EV) in the next two years?
|
42
|
48
|
10
|
