VNRC is knee-deep in preparations for upcoming legislative action in Montpelier. We are meeting with lawmakers, the Shumlin administration, and our partners and preparing strategies for advancing strong and smart legislative initiatives to help Vermont move toward a future of cleaner energy, vital communities, and a healthy environment. If you want to learn more about specific initiatives or find out how you can help, contact Jake Brown at jbrown@vnrc.org.

Thank you to the thousands of VNRC members and activists who make our work possible! Your support and dedication mean a lot to us – and to Vermont.

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Become an Activist

VNRC is seeking a legislative intern to assist us in tracking legislation and advancing strong environmental and energy initiatives at the State House, starting in January and ending in May.

Duties will include monitoring relevant State House hearings and reporting to VNRC staff on results of those hearings; tracking the movements of and changes made to specific bills VNRC is advancing or following; and possible lobbying of lawmakers.

The normal schedule is Tuesday through Friday, though the schedule can be flexible for the right candidate. There may be a stipend available for this internship.

If interested please contact Jake Brown, Communications/Government Affairs Director, at jbrown@vnrc.org or 802-223-2328 x111.

VNRC Hires Intern Rebekah Smith

VNRC has hired Rebekah Smith as our Mollie Beattie Intern. Rebekah, who recently graduated from Vermont Law School with a J.D. and is a member of the Vermont Bar, will work with VNRC until the end of 2011.  While in law school, she specialized in land use law and alternative dispute resolution. She worked with Vermont Law School’s Land Use Institute and the Consensus Building Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts on land use law issues.  Still focused on land use, Rebekah is researching Act 250 legal issues for VNRC. The internship honors Mollie Beattie, the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1991-1996.

Coming to Mailboxes Soon: VNRC's Year-End Appeal

If you're getting this email, chances are you'll also see VNRC's year-end appeal in your mail soon.

Sixty percent of VNRC's annual budget comes from member giving, the majority of which is raised through this year-end appeal. Membership funding allows VNRC to be flexible and nimble, and react quickly to unforeseen situations. It also allows us to hire necessary planners, scientists, lawyers and outreach staff to thoroughly research the issues and keep our members informed.

If you are not a VNRC member, please click here and join today to help us with this vital work. If you are a current or recently lapsed member, please be on the lookout for our Year End Appeal! And thank you for your support.

VNRC is helping find ways to relieve traffic congestion in Chittenden County in the wake of Gov. Shumlin’s announcement that the “Circ” highway would not be built as originally planned.

The Circ Alternatives Task Force, on which VNRC serves, recently developed five short-range initiatives that include an interchange upgrade to exit 16 in Colchester, improvements to Route 2A and 289 in Essex, the Crescent Connector Road linking routes 15, 117, and 2A in Essex Junction, as well as intersection upgrades at the intersection of Route 2A and James Brown Drive in Williston.

A public information meeting is scheduled for Dec 14. Click here for more details.

The developers of a proposed Wal-Mart have filed paperwork to knock out VNRC and local citizens from participating in a case in which Wal-Mart seeks to build a 110,000 square foot super store in Bennington.
VNRC is representing the Citizens for a Greater Bennington, which includes downtown business owners, in an appeal at Environmental Court. At issue is whether the citizens and VNRC have a right to participate as parties in the Act 250 review of the project.

“The recent motion is another attempt by Wal-Mart to shut citizens out of the process, said Jamey Fidel, VNRC’s general counsel. “The citizens, who live and work in this community, have valuable information that should be considered in this case and they deserve all the rights of party status,” said Fidel, noting that the Citizens for a Greater Bennington and VNRC recently submitted scores of affidavits articulating particular concerns about water quality, traffic, impacts to downtown businesses, and compliance with the town plan. VNRC will continue to fight for citizen participation and will keep you posted regarding any new developments in this case.

New Initiative for Vermont's Working Landscape

The Vermont Council on Rural Development recently released a list of recommendations and goals for Vermont’s working landscape. The report, entitled “Investing in our Farm and Forest Future,” outlines goals as well as barriers and challenges and trends for the future.

“When you think about the green economy you have to think about the foundation of that economy – and it’s the land,” said Paul Costello, the executive director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development as he announced the initiative to sustain and enhance the rural economy and the Vermont brand.

To download a short copy of the report, and see a video of Costello’s announcement of the plan, click here.

Lawmakers recently heard from Agency of Natural Resources staff, river advocates including VNRC, and others about how to manage Vermont’s rivers to minimize the impacts of future flooding like that caused by tropical storm Irene.

The fact that we are likely to see more storms in the future demands a thoughtful approach to river management in order to avoid big flooding impacts, the lawmakers heard during a one-day public hearing at the State House. Agency staff said a science-based approach – which supports, where possible, allowing rivers to meander and change their course and develop flood plains over time – is the best long-term approach. Click here to read a thorough news story on the hearing.

A computer mapping program that lets you calculate your carbon footprint developed by a company in Shelburne was recently recognized in a national challenge by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Hootroot, developed by Brighter Planet, was given the overall runner-up award in EPA’s Apps for the Environment challenge, which encourages the development of innovative environmental applications.

The mapping program provides directions and carbon footprints for available driving, transit, flight, and human-powered transportation options on given routes.

Go to www.hootroot.com for more information, and a video of how the program works.

The Vermont Community Energy and Climate Action Conference will be held on Saturday December 3rd, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Lake Morey Inn in Fairlee, Vermont. 
 

Organized by VECAN and the UVM Extension Service, this daylong conference is for town energy committees, municipal officials, local and regional planners, and concerned citizens interested in reducing energy costs and tackling climate change. 

This year’s conference will feature Commissioner Elizabeth Miller with the Vermont Department of Public Service and Secretary Deborah Markowitz with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Commissioner Miller will talk about the new state energy plan and what it means for communities, and Secretary Markowitz will discuss the work of the State’s Climate Cabinet.  The conference will also feature environmental activist, actor, and writer Kathryn Blume who will talk about how one individual can make a difference in affecting climate change. 
 

Register for the conference here.

The Biomass Energy Development Working Group, also known as the BioE Working Group, will hold a public hearing December 6 to take comment on the draft of its final report to the Legislature. The group was formed to address the promotion woody biomass opportunities while maintaining the health of the forests of Vermont.
 

The public hearing will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 11 of the Vermont State House. Members of the public are invited to attend and to provide oral or written testimony to the working group at the hearing.  Written comments on the draft final report may be submitted by December 12, 2011 to the attention of the BioE Working Group by e-mail at aadler@leg.state.vt.us or by U.S. mail at the above address.  Please include the phrase “BioE Report” in the subject line. Read the final report of the BioE Working Group here.

David Mears, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, and his wife Nancy will talk about their observations and experiences related to environmental issues in Guangzhou, China on December 8 in Montpelier. David was on a Fulbright Scholarship for the 2010-2011 academic year teaching at Sun Yat-sen University, but returned to Vermont in early January 2010 to assume the post of Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Nancy, an architect, and their three children, decided to stay in Guangzhou to finish out the year. The event will take place at the Unitarian Church at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The event is part of the Seward Weber Lecture Series. Weber was a pioneer in the early days of the Vermont conservation movement and served as executive director of VNRC.

Members of the Saranac Lake area opened a community store this fall, after raising money to create an alternative to a proposed 120,000 sq ft Wal-Mart store that many community members thought would overwhelm their town and put local merchants out of business. After hearing about the development of another community-owned store – the Powell Mercantile in Powell Wyo. – Saranac Lake residents spent five years raising money to create their own store. In the end, some 600 people chipped in an average of $800 apiece, to raise about $500,000, and the Saranac Lake Community Store opened its doors October 29. You can read a New York Times story on the grand opening here.

Australia, the developed world’s highest per capita emitter of carbon, has passed a carbon tax. Australia relies heavily on coal to generate electricity.

"This is a very positive step for the global effort on climate change. It shows that the world's most emissions-intensive advanced economy is prepared to use a market mechanism to cut carbon emissions in a low-cost way," said Deutsche Bank carbon analyst Tim Jordan.

The carbon price will impose a cost on every ton of carbon emitted, giving companies a financial incentive to curb pollution, and will help Australia reach its goal to cut emissions by 5 percent of 2000 levels by 2020, according to The Guardian.

The tax per ton will start at $23 on the top 500 polluters starting July 2012, and will then move to an emissions trading system from 2015 on.

To read the full story, click here.