The second session of the biennium of the Vermont
Legislature got off to a bright and early start on January 3rd. That afternoon most committees were already
conducting hearings on bills that were presented on the floor that morning.
The House Natural Resources and Energy Committee, of which I
am a member, began consideration of three bills. One of the bills, H.475, is a net-metering
adjustment bill. It identifies some
technical changes to the 2011 Vermont Energy Bill (Act 47) that was passed last
year. The changes are needed to smooth
out some unanticipated implementation wrinkles that surfaced since passage and
to allow small solar installations of up to 10 kW in size to be permitted
through a simple 10-day registration process, which is currently available for
systems up to 5 kW in size. This bill passed the House last week and has
been sent to the Senate.
Another bill, H.468, is a starting point for a wide-ranging
discussion on how to achieve more aggressive renewable energy goals of fighting
climate change and growing a robust, green economy. It continues Vermont’s support of renewable
energy development by expanding the Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise
Development (SPEED) program and by proposing a Renewable Portfolio Standard
(RPS) for Vermont. The RPS sets a goal
of having utilities obtain 80% of their electricity generation from renewable
resources by 2025. This bill is likely
to evolve significantly during the committee process, with details changed or
refined as we hear testimony from various stakeholders.
The third bill, H.485, pertains to solid waste
management. Given that there are only
two operating lined landfills in Vermont , and that one of them will reach
capacity within 18 months at today’s rates of trash disposal, it is imperative
that we divert as much material from these streams as we can. Vermont’s recycling rate has leveled off at
around 32%. We can do a lot better than
that. H.485 seeks to promote sustainable
materials management, lessen Vermont’s reliance on waste disposal, and create a
waste management system that promotes energy conservation, reduces greenhouse
gases, and limits adverse environmental impact.
It will phase in, between now and 2017, mandatory recycling of common
household materials that are now recycled on a volunteer basis, as well as leaf
and yard waste, and “source separated” organic material from restaurants,
schools, hospitals, etc. The latter
material is better used for composting to return the nutrients to the soil than
for landfill material.
Other committees have also been hard at
work. Appropriations worked long hours
for several weeks to construct the 2012 Budget Adjustment bill. These adjustments are necessary to bring the
budget into balance based on actual versus
projected revenues and expenditures since July.
Most of the changes are in response to the devastation of tropical storm
Irene. 21 temporary positions were added
to the Agency of Transportation and 17 positions were added to Health Access
because of increased caseload. 12 more
positions were added to other departments.
Most of these positions will be filled by transfer of employees from
other departments.
