Vermont Act 250 Reform
On February 14, 2020, the committee on Natural Resources, Fish, and Wildlife, brought to the House a bill on proposed changes to our current fifty-year-old ACT 250’s Vermont land use and development law.
As introduced, this bill (H.926) proposed significant changes to the current Act, one of which impacts greenhouse gas emissions and climate change provisions. Since this bill also affects the revenue of the State, the bill was immediately referred to the House Ways and Means committee.
On February 21, 2020, the House Ways and Means Committee voted 10-1 Friday to take out the funding mechanism from the bill for a new three-member statewide board that would review major Act 250 projects. The move comes shortly before the crossover deadline for the House to vote on an almost 100-page Act 250 reform bill. If approved by the House with the proposed changes, the bill would then move to the Senate.
Proposed Act relating to Changes to ACT 250: H.926 As Introduced
House Ways & Means Proposed Changes:H.926 Draft 1.1
Global Warming Solutions Act
On 2/20/20, the Vermont House approved legislation (Bill H.688) that would legally mandate the state to meet strict carbon emissions reduction targets in the coming years, and open it up to lawsuits if it fails to do so.
Under the legislation, the state would be required to come up with a plan to reduce greenhouse gas pollution to 26% below 2005 levels by 2025. Emissions would need to be 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80% below by 2050. The Bill now moves on to the Senate for action.
H.688 As Approved
Renewable Energy Standard Update
On 1/14/2020, Senators Pearson, Perchlik, Ashe, Balint, Bray, Campion, MacDonald and Sirotkin, bill proposes to make various amendments to Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard. Bill S.267 included requiring that total renewable energy increase to 100 percent by 2030 and distributed renewable generation to 20 percent by 2032.
Currently the bill is in the Committee Finance for action. S.267 As Introduced
US Government Affairs Updates (as reported by ASHRAE.org, 2/13/2020, partial topics listing)
U.S. Congressional Activities
• House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Holds a Hearing on Energy Efficiency and Storage
• Four Senators Join the Bipartisan Senate Climate
Solutions Caucus
• House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittees Hold a Hearing on the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• House Democrats Release Outline of a 5-Year $760 Billion Infrastructure Package
• U.S. House Passes the Department of Homeland Security Climate Change Research Act
• House Energy and Commerce Hearing on the Impacts
of Wildfires
• House Natural Resources Hearing on Disclosure Requirements for Protecting Human Health, the Climate, and the Environment
For detailed information on the above topics, visit the ASHRAE Government Affairs Update website page at:
https://www.magnetmail.net/Actions/email_web_version.cfm?publish=newsletter&user_id=ASHRAE&message_id=18150200#State
Dick Wilcox
GAC Committee Chair