December 20, 2024
The Crash is Coming. Will There Be a Course Correction?
Both sides of the climate conversation are using the same metaphor. The leader of the lobbyist group that is suing the state of Vermont told the Vermont Climate Council that she sees a “plane on a crash course right into a mountain.” The Conservation Law Foundation will try and convince a State Superior Court judge that Vermont has not reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 26% as required by law. What will happen if they win? Vermont taxpayers will pay their legal bills, and regulatory action will follow. This could include fines, fees, and even bans to get Vermonters to use less oil and gas. Meanwhile, newly elected Republican leaders in the House and Senate announced this week that they want to turn these carbon mandates from Montpelier back into goals and put an end to the lawsuits. Failure to change course will “cause undue damage” to Vermont’s economy and families.
The January 1 emissions deadline and the debate over whether we have met the mandate comes after the state spent $2 million designing a Clean Heat Standard that regulators say is prone to “fraud and market manipulation.” And it comes two years after lawmakers passed a Vermont Clean Car and Truck Regulation that manufacturers say will take a “miracle to meet.” According to the Vermont Vehicle Index, only 12% of new vehicles registered in Vermont are electric. Now that state incentives are gone, getting to 35% over the next twelve months may take more than a miracle. And since Vermonters will still be able to go to New Hampshire and get whatever car they want, we aren’t really solving climate change. But it will cause real economic damage to our communities.
When you consider that both the clean car and clean heat initiatives were top priorities of the Democratic Super-Majority, the November election comes into sharper focus. Not only did Republicans gain a record number of seats in the House and the Senate, but several architects of these unpopular policies were voted out of office.
Dig Deeper: Click here to watch Matt Cota explain Vermont's Clean Heat Standard and EV Mandates.
How Cold Is It? 2202 heating degree days have been recorded outside our office since July 1. That’s 1% less than what we had over the same time period last year. It’s about 15% less than what we normally have at this point in the heating season.
Counting Gallons and Taxes
Vermont’s gasoline tax is down slightly in Q1 2025 by about half a penny a gallon. That's because the average price per gallon has gone down. Sales are up slightly compared to the six-year average and where we were last year. For more information on taxes and sales of gasoline and diesel, go to the Motor Fuel Index. Information on heating fuel sales in Vermont an be found on Heating Fuel Index.
Time to Split
The Split the Ticket Fund has delivered over 100,000 gallons of free heating fuel in Vermont since it was founded in 2007. Check out ticketsplit.org and find out how you can donate dollars or gallons this winter. Thanks to Senator Peter Welch for showcasing how Vermont energy companies are helping their Neighbors in need. Watch the MeadowHill Media report here.
