My question to Senator Chris Bray at last Thursday’s Senate Candidates’ Forum:

When the Vermont Department of Public Service first investigated the concept of subsidies for net-metered solar embodied in ACT 45 in 2009, before there were any net-metered solar installations in the state, they concluded, and I quote:

“As a general principle the Department does not support having ratepayers subsidize economic policy in their rates because regulatory discipline dictates that the rates that consumers pay should go solely to what is necessary to source power that lights their homes and businesses. Further, the least cost principals embodied in statute and implemented by the DPS dictate that the power that is purchased on behalf of rate payers is sourced on a least cost basis.” end of quote.

It is worth mentioning that ACT 45 was passed without a single Republican vote. 91 Democrats in favor, 45 Republicans opposed.

Since then, experts employed by the state at the PUC, DPS, ANR, as well as Governor Scott and nearly every Republican in the legislature, have continuously warned about the proliferation of the net-metering program and the Global Warming Solutions ACT, the Clean Heat Standard, and the 100% renewable by 2030 mandate, all of which, except Act 45, were vetoed by the governor and overridden by the supermajority.

But you have not listened to these voices. You don’t even have a single Republican on the Senate Energy Committee (which you chair) to offer a contrary opinion. You have pushed these policies knowing that nothing Vermont does will make a difference to the global climate or to Vermont’s weather patterns, and also knowing that the cost of these policies to Vermont ratepayers and taxpayers would grow logarithmically as more and more renewable mandates are passed into law and more of Vermont’s electricity is produced by renewables, which cost 3-4 times more than ISO-NE’s average wholesale cost.

My question is, how can you say you represent your constituents when you ignore everyone but the renewable industry lobby and the voices in your own head?

To which Bray responded (as I recall it):

“I usually thank people for their questions but in this case I won’t.”

“I was on the House Agriculture Committee in 2009 when Act 45 was passed.”

True, but Bray voted for it and since then has been one of the chief architects of Vermont’s aggressive renewable agenda and climate goals.

“It would be better to have a ‘regulated electricity market’ than to be subjected to the volatility of fossil fuel prices.”

This is total nonsense. Regulating the market to achieve the penetration of renewables that current statutes require will mean paying much more for electricity, due to the subsidies and capital investment for transmission upgrades required, than it costs today. You can’t “regulate” a sector of the economy to operate at a loss and expect to achieve your goals. Net-metered solar is 3-4 times more expensive than the electricity from the grid. There is no getting around that. This does not even take into account the need for the conventional, reliable, dispatchable grid to grow to provide capacity when renewables are not available.

Under the new law, utilities that fail to deliver 100% renewable electricity will pay an “alternative compliance fee” that will be passed on to ratepayers. The impact on Vermonter’s wallets will be felt regardless of whether the renewable goals are met or not. Vermonters will be much better off keeping their functioning heating systems than to change to heat pumps and then watch the price of electricity skyrocket.

“Yes, we recognized that net-metering was costing ratepayers too much, so we dialed it back a bit.”

Finally! An admission of failure! However, this admission of failure does not address the enormity of the problem that has been created. The cost of subsidizing high-cost renewables to meet the 100% by 2030 requirement will be much more than the cost of existing solar installations, which represent a small part of Vermont’s electricity usage. The impact of these policies has yet to be felt. Existing net-metered solar is the canary in the mine and “dialing it back a bit” does not change the impact of the 100% renewable mandate.

“The Clean Heat Standard won’t take effect in 2025, it will be 2026 before the program is implemented. And we are going to sue the fossil fuel industry to pay for the harm they are doing to Vermonters.”

In other words, we are going to keep “Solving Climate Change” by imposing higher costs for energy on Vermonters. And we are going to waste a ton of taxpayer’s money on legal costs to take on the fossil fuel industry, not only for Vermont’s lawyers but the defendants’ lawyers when we get laughed out of court. Where would Vermont be today without fossil fuels? There would not be a soul living here.

“I listen to everyone and make the best decisions for the people of Vermont, while keeping our responsibility to act on climate change in focus.”

Senator Bray has not listened to everyone. He has ignored almost everyone. Vermont cannot impact climate change one way or the other so spending a dis-proportionate per capita amount relative to the United States taxpayers’ existing responsibility via the Biden IRA and the Paris Climate Accords is akin to Vermont doing “self harm.”

“There have been a lot of ‘scare tactics and misinformation’ from the other side designed to create fear and anxiety to try to get votes. Don’t be taken in.”

This is gaslighting at its finest. The facts speak for themselves. The “other side” has only been reporting on the facts that are contained in Vermont state government documents and recordings of hearings and meetings. Bray’s opponents are reassuring Vermonters that they will not pursue policies that increase the size of government and cost to the citizens, while doing nothing to “Solve Global Warming.”

Steve Thurston

Ferrisburgh