Past Policy Updates

The VBSR Public Policy Committee is meeting on Monday, February 5th, 4pm-6pm, at the offices of Marketing Partners in Burlington. If you are a VBSR member and are interested in getting involved with the policy committee, please get in touch with Andrea at 802-862-8347 or  . Your involvement is welcome!

VBSR LEGISLATIVE RECEPTION. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7th, BLACK DOOR RESTAURANT, MONTPELIER. HOPE TO SEE YOU!!!!

Things are picking up at the statehouse with testimony on particular bills taking off. This e-note will update on activities related to energy, healthcare, telecom, and smart growth. If there are particular bills/issues of interest to you that I don't get to in the e-notes, please be in touch.

Energy

VBSR has recently adopted a new energy and transportation policy statement.

It looks as though bills relating to electricity will start in House Natural Resources and bills related to other fuels, and renewable resources will begin in the Senate. House Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources began taking testimony on permitting small scale hydro but word is it is going to be a hard sell with even some environmental interest groups concerned about the potential conflicts between development of renewable energy sources and protection of fisheries and ecosystems.

Both Natural Resources committees also heard this week from Dr. Patrick Moore, a proponent of nuclear energy. He advocated for development of nuclear as a clean source of energy that does not create carbon emissions. Much discussion regarding management of waste and de-commissioning of nuclear plants. This debate will continue to heat up as re-licensure of Vermont Yankee nears.

Here is a list of the energy-related bills so far...VBSR will use our newly adopted policy to guide our position on any particular bill. We are also working closely with partners to help create a buildings efficiency bill that will address all fuels.

• S.10: An Act Relating to Large Electricity User Fees and Green Building Credits for Large, New, Conditioned Buildings
  The bill proposes to assess a large electricity user fee, in the amount of one percent of the price of the building, on a new heated or cooled building with a floor space that exceeds 4,000 square feet. The fee shall be reduced by the amount of green building credits for which the owner is qualified. Funds will be deposited into the clean energy development fund. No fee is due if a building is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as meeting its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
• S.11: Regulation of Small, Local, Sustainable, Electricity Generators, and Urging the ISO to Order Cost-Sharing for Demand-Side Measures.
  This bill proposes to require the department of public service to propose to the general assembly legislation that would establish a streamlined section 248 review process for local, sustainable generators of electrical energy of less than five MW. It also proposes to require the department of public service to work with Congress to exempt these small generators from FERC jurisdiction. It also proposes to require the department of public service to request the New England Independent System Operator (ISO) to assure that regionwide cost-sharing applies to demand-side measures, conservation, and local power generation that decrease the need for poles and wires.
• S. 12: An Act Relating to Authorizing the PSB to Establish a Program For Efficiency Improvements or Renewable Energy Enhancements to Be Provided at Monthly Costs that are Less than the Monthly Savings from the Improvements.
  This bill proposes to authorize the public service board to establish a Pay-as-You-Save (PAYS® ) program, which allows customers to purchase and install cost-effective efficiency improvements or renewable energy enhancements with no up-front payment or debt commitment, and to pay for the costs of the improvements over time as an additional charge on their monthly utility bill.
• S. 25: An act relating to the idling of motor vehicles
  This bill proposes to prohibit a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating over 10,000 pounds to idle while the motor vehicle is stopped for a period of time in excess of five consecutive minutes in any 60 minute period unless otherwise exempted under rules adopted by the department of motor vehicles.
• S.32 (PASSED THE SENATE): An act relating to appointments and terms for energy coordinators
  This bill proposes to allow a local legislative body to appoint an energy coordinator without a town vote, and to allow the local legislative body to determine the length of term for an energy coordinator.
• S.35: An act relating to purchase tax surcharge on heavy or high-fuel-consumption new cars
  This bill proposes to impose a surcharge of $300.00 on the purchase of new cars exceeding 8,500 pounds; and on new cars of lower weight, to impose a surcharge as follows: $250.00 on cars with a fuel economy rating of 19 mpg or less, and $50.00 on cars with a fuel economy rating of 20 to 24 mpg.
• S. 44: An act relating to establishing a Vermont common assets trust
  This bill proposes to make it clear that state policy is to protect certain common assets (such as air and water) for the benefit of present and future generations, and to establish a framework pursuant to which certain users of those common assets may be assessed fees that would be deposited into a common assets trust fund, which would be managed so as to protect those assets and serve the interests of present and future people of the state. It proposes to provide that the common assets trust fund would be managed by a board of trustees, appointed according to the process established in the bill, in the interest of the beneficiaries. It proposes to establish an advisory committee to recommend to the general assembly ways in which the framework could be implemented so as to serve the purposes expressed in the bill.
• H. 71: An act relating to establishing residential electricity surcharges upon large new residential units that are hooked up to the grid and upon large residential electricity users
  This bill proposes to impose a residential construction surcharge on the connection to the grid of residential housing constructed after July 1, 2007 that contains more than 4,000 square feet of floor space per residential unit. The amount of the surcharge shall be $1,000.00 per 100 square feet of floor space above 4,000 square feet per residential unit. The bill proposes that these residences will be subject to electric rates that reflect the costs incurred at the time the electricity is obtained by the retail provider. The bill also proposes to impose a residential electricity consumption surcharge that shall be imposed upon residential users of electricity that use more than 115 percent of the state's average annual consumption rate per individual residential unit, as the consumption rate is determined annually by the commissioner of public service. The amount of this surcharge shall range from $100.00 for those using between 115 and 120 percent of the state average to $300.00 for those using more than 130 percent of that average. Proceeds from these surcharges shall be deposited into the Vermont clean energy development fund.
• H. 104: An act relating to increasing the use of wind power to meet part of the state's electricity demand
  This bill proposes to require the public service board to use incentives and other tools to ensure that by 2012 the state will generate no less than 100 MW of power from in-state wind turbines. It proposes to require the public service board and the department of public service, in consultation with the agency of natural resources, to identify information that must accompany an application to install wind turbines. It provides that an applicant for installation of a wind turbine need not establish that the power cannot be provided in a more cost-effective manner. It proposes to amend the renewable energy portfolio standards, which may or may not come into effect depending upon an electric utility's success with the sustainably priced energy enterprise development (SPEED) program, to require that 20 percent of a retail electricity provider's total energy load as it exists on January 1, 2012 shall be met through the use of electricity generated by in-state wind turbines.
• H. 105: An act relating to expanding the list of power sources eligible for credit in the SPEED program
  This bill proposes to amend the sustainably priced energy enterprise development (SPEED) program by amending the definition of "new renewable energy" to include renewable energy provided by independent power producers with contracts that expire after December 31, 2004; the effect of which is to give utilities credit for these sources of power during the SPEED analysis.
• H. 123: An act relating to authorizing the development and implementation of micro-grids within the service area of a distribution utility
  This bill proposes to allow the public service board to authorize the establishment and operation of micro-grids within the service areas of distribution utilities. The bill proposes to establish who is eligible to establish a micro-grid; the characteristics of such a system; and a notice process. It proposes to address bilateral exchanges of power and other services between a micro-grid and a distribution utility, and requires the board to address interconnection issues, agreements between a micro-grid firm and a distribution utility, licensing requirements for micro-grid firms, and product quality requirements, among other issues.
• H. 124: An act relating to establishing efficiency standards for specified appliances
  This bill proposes to adopt appliance efficiency standards to apply to the retail sale of new automatic commercial ice makers, ceiling fans and ceiling fan light kits, commercial clothes washers, commercial pre-rinse spray valves, commercial refrigerators and freezers, digital television adapters, furnace air handlers, illuminated exit signs, large packaged air-conditioning equipment, low voltage dry-type distribution transformers, torchieres, traffic signal modules, and unit heaters. The bill proposes to establish dates by which each of these standards shall take effect.
• H. 127: An act relating to revising the retail electric providers' portfolio standards so that at least 25 percent of the state's total electrical energy load as of 2012 and 40 percent of the state's total electrical load as of 2018 will be met by renewable energy resources
  This bill proposes to amend Vermont's portfolio standards for the use of renewable energy resources so that the state no longer depends upon a retail electricity provider's success in the sustainably priced energy enterprise development (SPEED) program. It proposes, instead, to require that no less than 25 percent of a retail company's total energy load as it exists on January 1, 2012 shall be met through the use of electricity generated by renewable resources, and that no less than 40 percent of a retail company's total energy load as it exists on January 1, 2018 shall be met through the use of electricity generated by renewable resources. The bill proposes to allow the public service board to set a lower requirement for a particular retail provider if the state's total load is able to meet the 25- and 40-percent requirements, notwithstanding this particular shortfall.

Health Care

Efforts at the statehouse this session will begin with a technical amendments bill and will also initially focus on ways to provide IT assistance to medical offices to help with paperwork, medical records, etc. We will also be seeing work regarding implementation of the "blueprint" and chronic care initiatives. Only later in the session are we likely to see any more reform-type proposals since the emphasis is on making Catamount work. The reform proposals to be introduced will likely involve expansion of Catamount eligibility to others including small businesses. The VBSR policy committee and Board will need to evaluate these particular proposals against our standing health care policy.

Telecom

In the Governor's budget address he emphasized that Vermont should be an "e-state" and that access to good telecom service is critical to education, commerce, and economic development. This view was expressed by many VBSR members during the regional public policy forums this past fall. On Tuesday the Department of Public Service presented to Senate Finance an Administration proposal re: development of a telecom authority. The proposal included Authority membership, power and duties, authorities and limits on bonding, and funding including grants and mortgage insurance capacity through VEDA to insure loans made through Technology Infrastructure Fund. The proposal also includes permit "streamlining" which would change existing Act 250 and municipal permitting and direct permitting instead through a new PSB process. There were numerous issues/concerns expressed by committee members and there are likely to be many future hearings on the proposal.

Big Box Stores

VBSR testified on Wednesday in Senate Economic Development in general support of a draft bill that would require developers of big retail stores to pay for independent economic impact studies to be used by towns and Act 250 commissions as part of permit application review. Our support was based on our goals to ensure prevention of sprawl, livable wages, and sustainable economic development. By providing additional tools to towns and Act 250 we can help ensure better outcomes for our people and communities. The draft was changed after the hearing and has now been introduced in the Senate as S. 66

Check out the Legislature's web site to see copies of bills or to track bills.

Back to Past Policy Updates