According to Renewable Energy Vermont, over 150 businesses throughout Vermont agree that Senate Bill 30 is an unbalanced piece of legislation that will upend decades of well-planned, statewide energy permitting, stifle jobs and restrict access to affordable, clean energy.
A letter sent to each Vermont Senator reads, "This legislation will hurt local jobs...increase energy costs for homes and businesses, and take Vermont backwards in meeting the goals of our state's Comprehensive Energy Plan". This bill, which was introduced as a three-year moratorium on wind power, has expanded to restrict the development of solar, farm methane, and biomass, among other clean energy sources.
Businesses from numerous sectors oppose S30, from suppliers and manufacturers such as NRG Systems, to small installers like Solar Pro and Catamount Solar. This bill not only impacts renewable energy businesses, which is evidenced by the number of non-renewable companies who have signed on in opposition to S30, such as Pomerleau Real Estate, Ben and Jerry's, Harrison Concrete, Demag Riggers and Crane, Patagonia and more.
The current legislation not only exempts transmission projects and oil and gas pipelines, but acts as a de facto ban on clean, local renewable energy. According to REV, if S30 is passed, "it hangs a sign on the door of Vermont saying, 'no renewable energy jobs or projects are welcome here'".
See below for the full letter, and list of businesses who oppose S30.
14 March 2013
Dear Senators,
As Vermont businesses, we want you to know of our opposition to S.30, legislation that began as a three-year ban on wind power development and was amended to significantly impact all new Vermont energy generation above 500kW.
This legislation will hurt local jobs in clean tech and in associated businesses, increase energy costs for homes and businesses, and take Vermont backwards in meeting the goals of our state’ s Comprehensive Energy Plan and addressing climate change. It hangs a sign on the door of Vermont saying, ‘ no renewable energy jobs or projects welcome here.’
S. 30 up-ends the long-held principle that statewide energy siting should be assessed based on the public good. The St. Albans Messenger recently opined that by introducing additional permitting requirements, the current version of the legislation would act ‘ effectively as any moratorium,’ a point to which we agree.
This current legislation exempts transmission projects and oil and gas pipelines, while serving as a temporary de facto ban on clean distributed renewables, which produce local energy, local jobs, local economic benefits and keep our dollars in our state.
Beyond its original target of wind, S.30 was expanded to include the development of solar, farm methane, and biomass, among other clean energy sources.
Further, this legislation is out of step with Vermonters’ repeated support for local renewable energy, including wind, in scientific and non-scientific polls alike. It unwisely legislates before receiving the recommendations of the Energy Siting Commission, which has spent hundreds of hours taking testimony from Vermonters across the state and is actively working on ways to improve the permitting process for all.
Finally, this legislation will drive up the cost of energy for all Vermont homes and businesses. By making renewable energy more expensive to develop and more limited in its availability, Vermont will have a harder time meeting its existing statuary energy goals, likely increasing cost, and make Vermont more vulnerable in its dependence on out-of-state energy sources.
As a result of these concerns, the following 150+ businesses urge your opposition to this misguided legislation.
Sincerely,
Pomerleau Real Estate
Burlington
JA MacDonald
Lyndonville
Demag Riggers & Crane Service Inc
Williston
Harrison Concrete
Georgia
JA Morrissey, Inc.
Williston
Larkin Realty
Burlington
Ben & Jerry's
South Burlington
Patagonia Burlington
South Burlington
Beacon Manufacturing Company
Montpelier
Green Mountain Dairy Farm
Sheldon
Dinse Knapp McAndrew
Burlington
Middlebury Fence
Middlebury
Montpelier Construction
Barre
Mad River Rocket Corporation
Warren
A. Cooper Mechanical
Williston
Cross Consulting Engineers
St. Albans
Pillsbury Manor Senior Living
South Burlington
Vermont Licensed Plumbers Association
Randolph Center
Burlington Electric Department
Burlington
HB Insurance
Burlington
Moose Mountain Forestry
Lowell
Meadowsend Timberlands Ltd.
Windham/Grafton, Sheffield, Bradford
Pease Mountain Law, PLLC
Charlotte
Vermont Roofing
Rutland
Washington Electric Co-op
East Montpelier
Willowbend Farm
Island Pond
AC Hathorne
Williston
Advanced Solar Heating Systems
Rutland
Aegis Wind
Waitsfield
Agricultural Energy Consultants
Marshfield
AHT Plumbing & Heating
Sharon
AllEarth Renewables
Montpelier
Alumni Solar
South Hero
Ames Hill Productions
Marlboro
Andy Robinson Consulting
Plainfield
AOE Inc.
North Bennington
Backspin Renewables
Middlebury
BCK Law
Woodstock
BD Media Inc
Montpelier
Better World Energy
Marshfield
Big Pine Builders/ Big Wind and Solar
Manchester Center
Black River Produce
Chester
Bristol Electronics
Bristol
Building Energy
Burlington
Business Energy Action
Burlington
Carbon Zero LLC
North Bennington
Catamount Solar
East Montpelier, Corinth, South Royalton
Central Vermont Solar & Wind
Rutland
Chittenden County Solar Partners
Williston
Church, Engle & Associates
Shelburne
Claire Solar Partners
Burlington
Common Ground Center
Starksboro
Community Biomass Systems
Montpelier
Cornerstone Renewables, LLC
Williston
Cottage 10
Hinesburg
CRL Solar LLC
Hartford
Cutting Edge Energy Systems
Newark
DC Energy Innovations, INC
Burlington
Delta Energy Group
Brattleboro
Draker
Burlington
E&S Electrical
Colchester
East Haven Wind Farm
Montpelier
Ecological Energy Development LLC
Sutton
Encore Redevelopment
Burlington
Energy Co-op of Vermont
Colchester
Erickson Consulting LLC
Warren
Flint Spring Associates
Hinesburg
Forward Thinking Consultants, LLC
Richmond
Friends of the Sun
Manchester ctr.
Full Sun Company
East Middlebury
Gary MacArthur Solar
Marlboro
Georgia Mountain Community Wind
Williston
Global Garage Sale
Winooski
GMT Enterprises
Fayston
Great Bay Hydro
Newport, Derby, Charleston
Green Toolbox Consulting
Warren
Gringo Jack's
Manchester Center
groSolar
White River Junction
Hand and Sun Solar
Manchester ctr.
Hudson Solar
Bennington
Independent Power LLC
Hyde Park
Integrated Solar Applications
Brattleboro
Integrity Energy
Bethel
J Andrews Marketing
Westford
Johnnie Brook Creative
Richmond
LandWorks
Middlebury
Larkin Family Partnership
White River Junction
Lightspeed Publishing LLC
Arlington
Lintilhac Foundation
Shelburne
LW Seddon, LLC
Montpelier
Maclay Architects
Waitsfield
Main Street Landing
Burlington
Metruk's Electrical Contracting
Underhill
Miracle Energy Systems, LLC
East Montpelier
Mischul Brownstone
Charlotte
Nathaniel Group, Inc.
Waltham
Nava Bio-Energy Ltd
Brookfield
Net Zero Renewable Resources
Chester
New Generation Partners LLC
Buel's Gore
Northeast Kingdom Windpower
Montpelier
Northeast Wind
Waterbury Center
Northern Power Systems
Barre
Northern Reliability
Waitsfield
Norwich Technologies
Norwich
NRG Systems
Hinesburg
Nuñez Electric, LLC
Highgate
Old County Building and Design
Waitsfield
One Sun Vermont
South Hero
Peck Electric Company
South Burlington
Points North Energy, LLC
Stowe
Positive Energy
Poultney
Pres. Biebel Builders Inc.
Windsor
Real Goods Solar
Montpelier
Reiss Building & Renovation
Hinesburg
Renewable Energy Systems & Technologies
Bridgewater Corners
Renewable Energy Vermont
Montpelier
Saxtons River Solar Electric
Saxtons River
Sellers & Company Architects
Warren
Seneca Mountain Wind, LLC
Williston
Sensible World
Middlebury
Smart Resource Institute LLC
Burlington
Solaflect Energy
Norwich
Solar Gain LLC
Middlesex
Solar Pro
Arlington
Solar Source
Bennington, Rutland, Williston
Solarwind Electric
Bradford
Soveren, Inc.
Westminster
Springfield Hydroelectric Co.
Springfield
Springfield Solar Alliance
N Springfield
Spruce Mountain Design
Montpelier
St. Albans Solar Partners
St. Albans
StrateQi Management Systems
Waterbury
Suncommon
Waterbury
Sunny Nose Solar
Springfield
Sunward Systems LLC
Shelburne
Sunwood Biomass
Waitsfield
TDX Power
Waitsfield
Thatcher Hill
Burlington
The Design Group
Warren
The Final Connection
Westford
The McKernon Group
Brandon
USA Solar Store
Perkinsville
Vermont Green Energy Systems
Middlebury
Vermont Independent Power Producers Association
Montpelier
Vermont Solar Engineering
Burlington
Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund
Montpelier & Middlebury
VESCO Energy
South Burlington
Village Builders
Wolcott
Watson Research
Fairfield
Wiemann Lamphere Architects
Colchester
Williamstown Solar Land LLC
Williamstown
Winooski Hydroelectric Co.
East Montpelier & Berlin
Winooski One Partnership
Winooski & Burlington
Wolfe Energy
Strafford
CC:
Governor Shumlin
Lt. Governor Scott
Pro Tem Campbell
Speaker Smith