It’s 6 PM and you’re getting home from work. You walk into your home and flip the switch to turn on the lights, open the refrigerator to get something out for dinner, and turn on the TV to watch the news. All of that relies on electricity. But how often do we think about where that electricity is coming from?
For at least half a century the average person has taken electricity for granted. Maybe we’ve had a vague notion that a power plant somewhere was pumping out those electrons; but unless we experienced an outage, we didn’t give our energy sources much thought. The fact is that until recently most of that energy was coming from coal, oil, natural gas or nuclear reactors. While nuclear has its own problems, the others pumped tons of CO2 into the atmosphere contributing to a steady and accelerating rise in greenhouse gas concentrations and rising global temperatures.
Now that we have become aware of the effects of CO2 on climate change, we have taken steps to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy sources. Vermont has become a leader in renewable energy, getting 40% of our electricity from renewables like wind, solar, hydro and biomass which includes wood and methane from landfills and biodigestors. More than 16,000 well-paying jobs have been created, the highest number per capita in the U.S., and hundreds of millions of dollars in transmission costs have been avoided by distributing generation close to where it is being used, thereby helping to keep Vermont’s electric rates the second lowest in New England.
This accelerated growth of large-scale solar and wind has also resulted in pushback by those who focus on their effects on ridgelines, landscapes and neighbors. These growing pains are often caused by poor planning and communication by developers as well as a negative reaction to the aesthetics by some people. Unfortunately, any type of energy generation has negative consequences, and we need to keep in mind the degree of harm each type entails. While we may not want to see a farm field covered with solar panels or industrial wind on our ridgelines, they are nothing compared to massive oil spills, tar sands mining, or mountaintop destruction for coal.
This past week we on the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee heard testimony from citizens and community leaders regarding the siting of wind and solar facilities. A common theme seemed to be that renewable energy is laudable, but needs to be properly sited and scaled down. For example, a 500 foot tall wind turbine a half mile from a residential development is not acceptable. Moreover, towns would like the Public Service Board to give more consideration to their town plans and zoning regulations.
While the Vermont Senate is currently developing legislation addressing these issues, my committee is preparing to weigh in once the bill comes to us. Threading this needle won’t be easy. We want to retain the broad public support for renewables and continue to grow this important part of our economy. We want to give town government an appropriate role. I believe we can have large scale wind with minimal impact to our ridgelines and communities if they are properly located. We can have large scale solar that benefits farmers and communities. And we can continue to build out residential and group net metering that will benefit consumers, make the electric grid more reliable, and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change. We just have to find a reasonable compromise.
I welcome your thoughts and can be reached by phone (802-233-5238) or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).
Legislative Report 1/25/2016 - Renewable Energy Siting
The Word in the House 1/18/2016 - Seeking Accountability
First, here’s an update on effects of the spending cap or
threshold on school budgets in Act 46. Action to address this is progressing in
both the House and Senate, although the approaches are different. Whether the
spending threshold is increased by 0.9%, as proposed by the House, or whether
they are repealed altogether, as proposed by the Senate, will probably come
down to a compromise which will be decided in a conference committee of both
bodies.
In the meantime, our attention in the House Natural
Resources and Energy Committee has been focused on the Agency of Natural
Resources (ANR) and its departments including the Fish and Wildlife Department,
the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the permitting processes of
ANR. Several years ago the Legislature
adopted a policy called Results Based Accountability (RBA). This policy
requires each legislative committee to request the government departments and
agencies in its purview to develop metrics to answer three questions with
regard to their missions:
- How much did we do?
- How well did we do it?
- Is anyone better off?
For example, if the Legislature sets the goal of treating
all persons addicted to opiates and allocates money for the program in the
budget, the RBA metrics would include how many addicts got into the program,
how many were successfully treated and at what cost, how many reintegrated as
productive members of society, and how many seeking treatment couldn’t be accommodated.
Following this model the Department of Environmental
Conservation asked its employees what could be done to increase the efficiency
of its operations. One division of the department had a backlog of 1100 drinking
water and pollution control project audits. They estimated that it would take
more than 100 person years to resolve the backlog using the existing audit
process. A new approach was needed to tailor the level of audit to the level of
project risk and streamline the process. The Commissioner at the time, David
Mears, charged his team to analyze the process and come up with suggestions for
improvement.
As a result of this exercise dozens of iterative steps were condensed
to a few necessary ones while retaining the effectiveness of the audits. The changes resulted in a 76% reduction in
the backlog, which is on target to be eliminated by March 2016, an increase in
job satisfaction for the employees involved, a savings of $1.6M returned to the
State Revolving Fund, and the ability to reallocate some personnel to unfilled
positions in other areas.
This success and similar ones in the Agency of
Transportation serve as a model for other agencies of state government. The Legislature hopes that continued
attention to Results Based Accountability will help state government become
more efficient, save taxpayer dollars, and help us get a better handle on the
state budget.
I continue to welcome your comments and can be reached by phone (802-233-5238) or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).
Legislative Report 1/11/2016 - Reflections on the State of the State
The first week of a legislative session features a joint
session of the House and Senate called to hear the Governor address the state
of the State. Amid the formal ceremony
in the chamber of the House where the members of the Senate sat in their
special seats near the podium, distinguished guests sat in additional chairs in
the center of the well of the House, and other special guests sat among the
members of the House and in the balcony, Governor Shumlin gave the last state
of the State address of his six year tenure.
He made note of many accomplishments including a renewable
energy policy that has grown thousands of new jobs while holding down electric
rates, a strong and successful response to tropical storm Irene, success in
getting 16,000 Vermonters health insurance they didn't have before, refocusing
the criminal justice system from incarceration to rehabilitation, and expanding
access to higher education for Vermont students through various innovative
programs. On a lighter note, he touted the successes of the micro-brew, cheese
and local food movements.
Looking to the future he focused on the economy, education
and marijuana legalization among other things.
He said he is looking forward to signing the Paid Sick Leave bill, which
passed the House last year, is expected to pass the Senate early this session.
He announced a $1 million grant from the Enterprise Fund to Global Foundries to
make 100 temporary jobs permanent. And he
called for quickly postponing or repealing the caps on education spending
enacted in Act 46 last year. This approach is in contrast to the direction
proposed by members of the House to raise the cap by 0.9%.
I was pleased to see that the Governor stipulated five
criteria before he would sign any legislation legalizing recreational
marijuana: 1) the market must keep it out of the hands of kids, 2) it must be
taxed low enough to prevent a black market, 3) revenues must be used to expand
addiction programs, 4) there must be a way to detect driving under the
influence, and 4) it should include a ban on the sale of edible marijuana
products. These criteria are necessary
but, in my opinion, there should also be a detailed analysis of the experiences
of Colorado and Washington regarding the increased usage, especially by
teenagers, and the additional costs to society as a result of DUI, marijuana
tourism, and the use of other drugs accompanying marijuana use.
The Governor's focus on addressing the opiate crisis remains
unabated. He harshly criticized the FDA
for approving stronger pain killers and the use of Oxycontin for children and
denounced the pharmaceutical industry for transforming “compassionate pain
management” into “pain for profit.” He
proposed limiting prescriptions for opiate pain medications after minor
procedures to 10 doses at a time, increasing the periodic drug take-back
events, and expanding the use of the prescription drug monitoring database to
physicians and pharmacies in nearby states to reduce cross-border abuse.
Finally, I am proud that he continues to support accepting
refugees from the civil war in Syria who pass the extensive and lengthy
background checks by UNHCR and our own State Department. As this past Sunday's Doonesbury strip noted,
why should a potential terrorist go the refugee route when it is easier to just
get a tourist visa? Our country must
continue to show compassion to those genuinely seeking shelter from terrorists
rather than creating a fortress mentality.
After all, we are “the land of the free and the home of the BRAVE,” are
we not?
VT Democratic Party Chief Discusses 2016 Outlook
Appearing on the Chittenden County Democrats Show, Conor Casey, Executive Director of the Vermont Democratic Party, discussed the outlook for 2016 for legislative work and the prospects for Democrats in this election year with hosts Bob Hooper and Rep. Mike Yantachka. The interview was recorded on January 4, 2016, at the CCTV studio in Burlington.
The Word in the House 1/7/2016 - Gearing Up
The second session of the legislative
biennium began on Tuesday of this week. Once again we are faced with
fiscal year expenses that exceeded revenues and require some
adjustments to the budget. Fortunately, revenues came in a little
better than expected, but were outpaced by increases in Medicaid
expenditures.
The Appropriations Committee has already been taking a
close look at areas where spending has not been as high as projected
and is looking for money to move around to fill the Medicaid gap.
The ability of the Joint Fiscal Office and the legislature to predict
the state’s financial picture continues to be inadequate despite
our best efforts last year. It appears our crystal ball needs an
upgrade.
While the budget adjustment is a high
priority, the effects of Act 46, the Education Reform Act, are even
more pressing. The caps that school boards across the state are
facing on per-pupil spending increases have been greater than
anticipated. This is especially affecting school districts that are
continuing to experience declines in student population. In CSSU
Charlotte, Williston, Hinesburg, and CVU are in this situation.
Charlotte will be assessed a significant penalty unless it can reduce
its budget by more than $500,000 under the current formula. The
repercussions throughout the state have caused the House and Senate
Education committees as well as the Governor to work on changes that
will mitigate the impending pain. Since school boards have to settle
on a budget recommendation by the third week in January, the
legislature must act within the first two weeks on this.
There are three proposals going into
the session. The House Education Committee’s bi-partisan proposal
is to increase the cap from 1.48% to 2.38%. This would make the
required spending reduction for Charlotte a more manageable $53,000.
The Governor is recommending that the caps and penalties be suspended
for a year to allow more districts to consider and vote on
consolidation. Since the purpose of the spending caps and penalties
was to give a push for consolidation, it makes sense to allow time
for consolidation studies to be completed and, if appropriate, be
presented to the voters. The Senate’s proposal is to scrap the Act
46 caps and revert back to the pre-Act 46 spending caps and
penalties. This issue will be a major news story, so watch the news
and you will know the outcome as soon as I do.
I look forward to publishing my weekly
reports in our local papers throughout the session, altenating
between The Charlotte News and The Citizen,
to keep you informed. I also welcome your comments and can be
reached by phone (802-233-5238) or by email
(myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).
Gubernatorial Candidate Matt Dunne Interviewed
Matt Dunne, former State Senator and now candidate for Governor, was the guest of Rep. Mike Yantachka on the Chittenden County Democrats Show, aired monthly on CCTV, Channel 17 in Burlington. This program was recorded on December 7th. Dunne spoke about his candidacy and vision for Vermont's future. He is the first candidate in the 2016 election cycle to appear on the show for a contested statewide office in the Democratic primary election which will be held in August. (The Presidential Primary election is separate and is held on Town Meeting Day, the first Tuesday in March.) Other Democratic candidates will appear on the show in coming months. The interview with Matt Dunne can be seen here.
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