by Tim McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine After attending meetings and presentations last night and today, Governor Peter Shumlin heralded the annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG-ECP) as a success, spurring greater cooperation on transportation, energy, and other important economic development initiatives in New England and regionally. The conference ‘ held on Sunday, September 8 and Monday, September 9 in La Malbaie, Quebec ‘ gave the governors and premiers the opportunity to advance regional partnerships on economic development, transportation, climate change and energy infrastructure.
"A lot of it focused on energy," Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin said during a virtual press conference held via conference call following the meeting. Shumlin said there is mutual interest among all the chief executives in the region surrounding energy and climate change, and how these issues affect the regional economy.
Shumlin said some very specific issues came up: the $12 billion Canadian pipeline that will carry tar sands oil from western Canada to three refineries in the east, including one into St John, New Brunswick; major expansion of hydro electric generation in Newfoundland and Labrador that could bring electricity down the eastern side of New England into the Boston area and southern New England, and with it, Shumlin said, more competitive pressure on Hydro Quebec; and Maine Governor Paul LePage's call for a tar sands oil pipeline into New Brunswick would help New England.
"I'm not excited about new technologies that will bring tar sands oil to market," Shumlin said, in guarded remarks.
Following up on a question about the hydro issue and whether a new transmission line through Vermont might be required to handle any new HQ power, Shumlin said that before that discussion takes place, a discussion on the policy regarding the existing line needs to take place. He said the federal government does not allow the current line to operate at its full capacity. He said the federal government needs a "more rational policy."
Shumlin, of course, said he supports getting "green-clean hydro power into New England."
He acknowledged that there is a very high usage of natural gas being used for electric generation in New England and wondered what the future costs of that might be.
Shumlin said the regional leaders never discussed "big wind," saying there was "no discussion whatsoever." He acknowledged that he and the New Englanders talked among themselves about Vermont Yankee closing at the end of 2014, but it was not part of the regional discussion because it does not affect the Canadians.
Another topic that the Vermont reporters were interested in was the highway linking Montreal to the Vermont border. The A35 was expected to be completed in 2017, but budget cuts up north have put the completion date somewhat in doubt.
The governor said he asked Premier Pauline Marois specifically about that project and she assured him that she's committed to completing the project as quickly as possible.
Shumlin said they also discussed other border related issues, one on upgrading the rail passenger crossing ultimately to return full passenger service from Vermont to Montreal, and they also discussed how emergency assistance can be best implemented. This discussion was brought on, Shumlin said, by the rail tragedy in Lac-Mégantic, QP, on July 6, 2013, that killed 47 people. Tanker cars carrying oil derailed and exploded in the village center.
LePage cites this incident as one reason why he supports the Canadian pipeline. A separate, minor derailment of crude oil tankers on a Maine rail line occurred in March. The new pipeline would transport up to 1.1 million barrels of oil a day by 2017.
‘Our New England and Canadian neighbors are incredibly important to our economy here in Vermont and our quality of life here and regionally. I am grateful that my colleagues from neighboring states and provinces are committed to working closely together,’ said Governor Shumlin in prepared remarks issued before the press conference. ‘As we work to strengthen our economy, improve transportation and trade, confront climate change, and meet our energy challenges, a robust regional partnership is more important than ever. The conference provided us the opportunity to discuss these critical issues and to ensure that we continue to work closely toward a bright future for Vermont and the entire region.’
In addition to climate change and clean energy, the conference focused on improving high-efficiency transportation options in New England and eastern Canada. The Governors and Premiers discussed expanding recent improvements to regional electric vehicle infrastructure, including the 138-mile Vermont-Quebec Electric Vehicle Charging Corridor, which was announced by Governor Shumlin at the 2012 NEG-ECP in Burlington, Vermont and was formally launched earlier this year by Governor Shumlin and Premier Pauline Marois. Leaders in attendance at the conference also discussed the importance of a strong regional rail systems and smooth, efficient border crossing for goods and travelers.
The conference’s discussions resulted in the passage of six resolutions, formalizing regional commitment to these issues. A resolution introduced by Gov. Shumlin, calling for strengthened interstate and interprovincial collaboration toward the expansion of emerging transportation technologies including electric vehicles, was among those passed by the governors and premiers. Other resolutions covered clean energy, transportation, climate change, mutual aid during emergencies, and rail transport safety. All resolutions as presented can be found here.
‘Whenever I meet with my colleagues in New England and Canada, I am reminded of the special economic and cultural ties of our entire region,’ said the Governor. ‘Working together as neighbors, I know we can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, and all of the resolutions passed today will help us achieve that goal. From energy, to transportation, to reciprocal emergency assistance, everything we passed recognizes the common goal of lowering our region's greenhouse gas emissions. These initiatives will not only benefit the environment and air we breathe, they will help spur greater economic development and improve our shared infrastructure. We all benefit from our close ties to our neighbors, and I am committed to continuing to grow jobs and economic opportunities by working with my fellow governors and premiers.’
Next year’s meeting will be chaired by Governor Maggie Hassan and will take place in New Hampshire during the summer of 2014.