Shap Smith came back from a 2012 Alaska vacation a changed man, with a newfound dedication to fighting climate change. So the Speaker told House Democrats in December, as reported by “The Ubiquitous” Peter Hirschfeld: (Warning: you may encounter the Mitchell Family Paywall.)
“I was really profoundly influenced by my trip to Alaska, and seeing the impact of climate change and hearing from people what it’s going to mean there,” Smith said. “And it just made me realize we’re not putting enough focus on something that could completely change our planet.”
…”We can’t shy away from it because other people are. We can’t say that because the rest of the country is deciding not to take action, that we will not.”
For his part, Governor Shumlin — who repeatedly refers to global warming as a “hair on fire” situation — promised a new push on renewable energy and efficiency.
“We’re doing abysmally on thermal efficiency,” Shumlin said. “Let’s find a way to work together in the next two years to catch up and do better so we’re not sending our oil and heating fuels out of our windows and doors and the dollars to countries that mostly do not like us.”
Yeah! Go Democrats! Let’s take our veto-proof majorities and show everyone how big a difference we can make!
Or not.
Fast forward to the (almost) end of the Legislative session, and what do we have to show for those December dedications?
Jack diddly squat, if you ask me.
The tonsorial conflagration took a back seat to the Governor’s push for education and welfare reform — and, especially, to his abhorrence of “broad-based tax increases.” (Meaning tax increases he doesn’t like.)
The Legislature, having rejected Shumlin’s break-open ticket tax (and his unbelievably high revenue estimate) as a revenue source for new energy programs, has squeezed out a bit of new money for low-income heating assistance and weatherization, but nothing meaningful. And to the best of my recollection, nobody in the Executive or Legislative branches ever considered any real expansion of renewable energy.
Scalp feeling a bit tingly, Governor?
How about a trip to Antarctica, Mr. Speaker?
the pig still stands plainly there before us.
The Governor supports the Addison pipeline for fracked Canadian shale natural gas distribution. From drilling to burning, natural gas is as bad or worse than coal or oil. Vt Gas is owned by Canadian Gaz Metro which is owned by Enbridge. The pipeline crosses numerous wetlands disrupting communities to send the majority of it’s gas to Int Paper in NY! Laying the infrastructure for continued reliance on fossil fuel is not a step toward renewable energy.
That’s a quote from the late Blair Hamilton, founder of Vermont Energy Investment Corporation. Here’s more:
No one argued whether going into Iraq would be ‘cost effective’.
Doubt the same thing for WW2. Nor any discussion of M1 tank builds, the F22, F35, etc.
And there seems to be no ‘cost effective’ discussions when it comes to various corporate tax break schemes. And the NRA isn’t talking about ‘cost effective’ methods of reigning in gun violence.
Why is ‘cost effective’ only part of the discussion when it comes to the welfare of the general citizen, healthcare, and the environment?