As our Distinguished Solons prepare to enter their noble chamber for a learned discourse on the subject of S.30, I’d just like to point out that the whole thing is a waste of time.

Senate Bill 30 used to be called the “wind moratorium bill” until its sponsors stripped out the moratorium because they knew the bill didn’t stand a snowball’s chance of going anywhere. But the reduced S.30 still contained new restrictions on wind and other renewable energy projects, plus a heapin’ helpin’ of anti-wind rhetoric in the “Findings” section.

And last week, as the Showdown in the Senate approached, the sponsors (a) postponed the vote until today, and (b) further diluted the bill in hopes of dragging its corpse across the finish line. The anti-wind “Findings” were expunged and replaced with neutral language. And a significant change, not reported at the time, was made to the bill’s mandate that new energy projects be subject to the Act 250 review process.

The current S.30 dumps the Act 250 review mandate. The process would remain wholly within the purview of the Public Service Board. But the PSB would be directed to apply the criteria of Act 250.

So here’s the thing about the latest iteration of S.30: it’s pretty much useless, except as a feel-good measure for the Windies.  

As I reported last week, most of the stuff in S.30 is already on the books. And the studies mandated by S.30 have all been done before. Some of them on multiple occasions.

In that case, I can almost hear the Windies saying, why not support S.30?

Well, even in its watered-down state, it does seek to tip the balance against new wind projects. it would also waste $75,000 of taxpayer money replicating previously-conducted studies. It would create a special legislative committee that, knowing the Senate leadership’s proclivities, will include at least three anti-wind voices. (That’s half the committee, and that’s a recipe for gridlock.)

And, the longer this goes on, the more legislative time is taken up with a bill that’s going nowhere. We already know the House isn’t touching it, and Governor Shumlin is opposed to it.  

I’m heartened by the fact that the Senate Windies have had to throw out the bulk of their anti-wind wish list. But at this point, the best thing is to just drive a stake in S.30 and move on to more meaningful things.