Vermonters Demonstrate at Power Plants for Clean Energy

BURLINGTON, WEATHERSFIELD, AND BERLIN, VERMONT - On Saturday, August 10, over 65 Vermonters from around the state rallied at three oil-burning “peaker” power plants to send a message to our utilities and legislators: we need to urgently move away from outdated, dirty energy infrastructure in favor of a clean and affordable energy future. The clear message “Don’t Burn Our Future: Clean Power Now!” kicked off a national campaign to transition from high-emissions, polluting fossil fuels and biofuels, to clean and just energy. 

“Since 2010, $143 million in ratepayer funded subsidies have gone to Vermont’s top polluters: peaker and biomass plants. These plants harm our communities and cause climate change. This money must instead go to a just transition.” says Elio Farley, an intern with 350Vermont. “We have a choice, we can keep burning things or we can live.”

Peaker plants (inefficient power plants used to meet peak energy demands) receive hundreds of thousands of ratepayer dollars to stand by most of the time, producing only a few hours of power each year. They are emblematic of an energy infrastructure that’s costly for the ratepayer and the climate. We need to invest in the future, not the past, by promoting weatherization, demand-response and conservation, ground- and air-source heat pumps, thermal energy networks, community solar, wind, and ratepayer protection. 

“Seeing the Berlin Peaker Plant today really brought it home that we could be managing our electrical power sources better,” said Rachael Timberlake of Montpelier, who attended the action in Berlin. “When we understand the true costs of burning fossil fuels and biomass—the destruction we are experiencing in our own communities—it is obvious that moving away from dirty fuel sources makes sense environmentally and financially, not in some imagined future but right now.”

The actions were organized by 350Vermont and co-sponsored by the Vermont Environmental Justice Network and NoCoal NoGas. They are part of a nationwide campaign sponsored by the 350 Network Council and People’s Action to build an energy democracy that serves the needs of our communities, our planet and our future. Actions will take place across the country from August 10 to August 18 calling on utilities to invest now in a clean energy future for everyone.

“It’s disingenuous for Vermont’s utilities to advertise themselves as 100% renewable and “green” while receiving streams of ratepayer funded subsidies for holding onto these polluting plants” says Connor Wertz, a community organizer with 350Vermont. “As floods destroy more of our state, it’s blatantly clear: climate change is here, there’s no more time to wait for this transition.”