By Arthur Hendrickson
There is no doubt that those living in Vermont are being affected by global warming. However, Vermonters are not inflicting this upon themselves nor are they causing the national or worldwide problems. Vermont’s declining emissions are something to be proud of. Because of our geography it is not surprising that most of Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) come from transportation and heating (79% of our greenhouse gas comes from CO2 -- carbon dioxide). Vermont is doing very well reducing emissions compared to what some are saying. An example is an article printed in VTDigger dated November 16, 2023, that used 2019 data and graphs. Even though that article’s information was aimed right, things in Vermont have improved since 2019. There is more recent data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Things need to be put into perspective.
To understand this issue, look at a Wikipedia article composed from EIA data dated May 13, 2023, titled, “List of U.S. states and territories by carbon dioxide emissions.” The second paragraph states, “The state with the highest total carbon dioxide emissions is Texas and the lowest is Vermont. The state with the highest per capita carbon dioxide emissions is Wyoming and the lowest is New York.” In the data, Texas’ total carbon dioxide emissions are 13.5% of the U.S. total compared to Vermont’s one-tenth of 1% of the U.S. total. Vermont’s 8.4 tons per capita of CO2 is the fifth lowest behind highly populated New York’s 7.1, Massachusetts’ 7.4, California’s 7.7, and Maryland’s 7.8. Wyoming with a sparse population has 96.4 tons per capita.
There is also a map on the web produced by the EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) showing Vermont has only two locations with over 25,000 metric tons of CO2e (CO2e stands for CO2 carbon dioxide equivalent a year) from stationary sources (25,000 metric tons of CO2e are the equivalent of annual energy use of 2,300 homes). They are Global Foundries, Essex Junction, in 2022 producing 252,977 tons and the Coventry NEWSVT landfill in 2022 producing 69,350 tons of CO2e
My power company, Washington Electric Co-op (WEC), has 100% renewable power sources and there is legislative pressure being put on the other power companies to have 100% renewable sources by 2030. Some 67% of WEC fossil-free power is generated from some of the methane at the Coventry NEWSVT landfill. Methane is 25 times worse in global warming than CO2.
Vermont’s electric grid is fragile, beyond not being able to handle wind and heavy snow, and in its present condition could not handle all households charging an electric vehicle let alone heating their homes with heat pumps. Presently half of the WEC transformers on the poles outside members’ homes are not capable of supporting a heat pump or a Class 2 electric vehicle charger. Per Vermont Title 30 statute to update a transformer is “at a cost to the customer.” While this burden is on the customer to financially assist the power companies on the grid, it is a far cry from what the Vermont Climate Care Plan says on pages 102 thru 106 that the power companies are supposed to be making financial and technical assistance in upgrading electric services inside customers’ homes. Presently there is a nationwide shortage of the transformers needed for upgrades or new construction. As of February 7, 2024, WEC had a waiting list of 66 members wanting transformer upgrades. The next member on the list has been waiting since August 2021. The next expected transformer delivery to WEC is in August or September.
The transformation from fossil fuel to renewable energy is a good thing and will take time. It cannot be done all at once and should not be done in a manner that hurts quality of life, especially for the working poor who live day to day and that do not qualify for government grants and make too little to take advantage of any incentives. By taxes and fees, the poor and working poor are actually funding incentives for the wealthy.
As long as government keeps giving incentives for purchasing things such as electric vehicles and heat pumps there will be no incentive for those making them to lower their prices and make them affordable. In my view it is backwards. Now that the manufacturers are established, the manufacturers should be giving incentives to the consumers to buy their products.
Those with the idea that “make big oil pay” money is going to come out of the fossil fuel manufacturers’ profits are mistaken. Cost passed on down regressively will cause financial harm to all because fossil fuel dealers will raise their prices and all vendors of alternate fuels, such as firewood and wood pellets, will match the increases to cover higher operation costs and to increase their profits.
Vermont’s CO2 emissions are greatly mitigated by our 78% forested landscape. The lofty goals the Vermont Legislature has set for net zero emissions far exceeds affordability and common sense. Until the 17 states, including Texas, that have no long-range emission plans create them, the Vermont Legislature should revise their mandates. The United States population is about 335,000,000. Vermont’s population is about 647,000 and is less than 2/10 of 1%. Considering Vermont’s present one-tenth of 1% of U.S. CO2 emissions, if Vermont did not exist there would be insignificant change to global warming. The infrastructure of our electric grid and having fossil-free sources should be the priority over all else before everyone has an electric vehicle and heats with electricity. If not, and the Legislature’s present CO2 mandates affecting consumers, such as only selling zero emission vehicles by 2035 are achieved first, most will be stuck with their electric vehicles having dead batteries, without heat, and living in darkness. We would be much better off emitting a little CO2 and have gasoline at the pumps, fuel oil in the tank, and the lights on.
Hendrickson lives in Moretown.
