Senator Chris Bray (and other legislative leaders) are working hard to help Vermonters move off of the high-cost, price-volatile roller coaster of imported fossil fuels. He deserves our appreciation for this important work. There are a lot of challenges facing Vermonters right now. We need real solutions that will help Vermonters today — and serve them well into a changing future. I am supporting Senator Chris Bray in this upcoming election in appreciation for his important work as the Chair of the Vermont Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee and the many excellent bills that he and his committee have initiated.

Sadly, mis- and disinformation is now dominating the conversation about establishing a potential thermal performance standard and moving Vermonters off of imported, dirty, and price-volatile fuels. I have seen a lot of exorbitant price estimates out there about the potential cost of such a program. Many of these estimates are being propagated by the fossil fuel industry — including the dark money, Koch Brother-funded Americans for Prosperity — to undermine (kill) a long-needed conversation and effort to help all Vermonters access cleaner, less costly heating choices.

One of the most egregious (over)estimates I’ve seen represents the total cost of paying for ALL clean heat measures (heating systems) installed by EVERY Vermonter over the next 25 years. This looks to me like a deliberate attempt to twist the facts and frighten Vermonters.

The only real, credible analysis that estimated the potential price effects of the Renewal Energy Standard was an independent analysis commissioned by Governor Scott’s Agency of Natural Resources that estimated only 1-2 cents per gallon between now and 2030. The study also anticipated lower prices for electricity and cleaner heating fuels — the very heating solutions fossil fuel importers would be required to help Vermonters access and afford.

My hope is that we can ground the conversation around fossil fuels in facts, not falsehoods and fear-mongering. There is a lot of good, hard work underway to design a potential program that works well for all Vermonters, especially those already struggling to make ends meet, as well as help the companies that have been keeping Vermonters warm for generations adapt in a changing global market.

To get your questions answered about this effort, find a very detailed FAQ about this policy/potential program by the expert data analysts at the Energy Action Network — including as it relates to cost questions — here: https://eanvt.org/affordable-heat-FAQ/

Fran Putnam

Weybridge