VNRC Disappointed with Yankee Ruling; Future of Plant Still Uncertain

In a much-anticipated decision, Judge Garvan Murtha, of the United States District Court of Vermont, ruled on January 19, 2012 that the State of Vermont is preempted by the Atomic Energy Act from enforcing legislation that would have compelled Vermont Yankee to shut down in March of 2012.

Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy on XL Pipeline

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy recently wrote a letter to President Obama expressing strong opposition to the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline. He notes that Congress has tucked into a payroll tax bill approval for the pipeline. In the letter, Leahy says, "fossil fuels are finite, inefficient, and dirty. The cost we pay at the gas pump bears no resemblance to the long-term environmental and health costs borne by society as a whole.

Update on Building Energy Disclosure Working Group

During the 2011 legislative session, within the Energy Act of 2011, a working group was created to examine "…whether and how to require disclosure of the energy efficiency of commercial and residential buildings in order to make data on building energy performance visible in the marketplace for real property and inform the choice of those who may purchase or rent such property." This is an update from one of the members of that working group, Richard Faesy.

VNRC Weighs in on VY in Federal Court

VNRC recently filed a second brief in federal district court supporting the state of Vermont’s efforts to shut down Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant as scheduled in 2012.

Button Up Warkshops – Ready to Go:

Central Vermont Community Action Council, in partnership with Efficiency Vermont, is bringing back its popular Button Up Vermont workshops for the fall/ winter of 2011. We're seeking businesses, non-profit organizations, and community groups to host a workshop and choosing a date and location for the workshop, and promoting the event locally. We'll do the rest -- provide the professional presenter, provide materials, and help you publicize your event. We've got everything you need to make this a success.

How A Responsible, Law-Abiding Law Student (and VNRC Legal Intern) Came to Get Arrested

It was not a simple process that led me to getting arrested in late August at the Tar Sand Action sit-in in Washington, D.C. My journey to the capital began sometime in July when I first received a message from the Facebook group “Seeking Courageous and Compassionate Vermonters to Stop the Tar Sands.”

GMP and Seabrook: Why Trade One Nuke for Another?

GMP's recent deal to buy electricity from the Seabrook nuclear power plant on the New Hampshire coast is disappointing. We are replacing electricity from a dangerous nuclear facility built in a vulnerable location with electricity from another dangerous nuclear facility built in a vulnerable location. Trading one nuclear source for another does not move us toward an energy future built on efficiency, conservation and renewable power.

Legislative Low-Down on Energy for 2011

There were two primary pieces of energy legislation this past legislative session that, ultimately, got merged into one — H.56. This ‘omnibus’ energy bill has many provisions in it, including expanding opportunities for moving small-scale solar projects forward in Vermont making strategic changes to the clean energy financing program, often referred to as PACE. While not as ambitious as many clean energy advocates would hope, H.56 took Vermont a solid step forward on expanding opportunities for efficiency and renewables.

Forums to Focus on State Comprehensive Energy Plan Update

To guide the state in making some complex and strategic choices on how Vermont will meet its energy needs far into the future, the Department of Public Service recently commenced a much-needed update to Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan, last officially adopted in 1998. Public input into this forward-looking plan is imperative, and VNRC is helping to organize a series of forums aimed at hearing how Vermonters think and hope the state will meet its energy needs.

Comprehensive Approach is Required for a Bright Energy Future

VNRC's Energy Program Director, Johanna Miller, recently penned a piece in the Times Argus about how important a comprehensive, strategic energy plan is for Vermont, saying:

The world faces significant challenges regarding how a growing, global society will meet its energy needs, and Vermont is no exception. Here in the Green Mountain state we face some very difficult energy choices. Gas prices continue to climb. Fuel oil prices remain high and are unlikely to fall far, if at all. The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant — currently one-third of the state’s electric supply — will likely go offline in 2012, as scheduled. And attractive, affordable and viable energy solutions are not readily available or easily developed.