Press Statement: 350VT Postcard Delivery & Legislative Asks - Delivered by Marisa Keller, 350VT Communications Team Member
Marisa Keller delivering remarks at 350Vermont’s March 2nd press conference
As Vermonters, we value our independence, our resilience, our communities, and this beautiful land we live on. We know we must act quickly, effectively, and fairly to address the climate crisis.
Today, children, youth, parents, and children delivered over 1,700 postcards—collected and signed by Vermonters across our state—asking our legislature to take bold action now. These postcards are meant to let legislators know what their constituents want: a transition to clean energy that is effective and fair, that upholds our values and considers the needs of all Vermonters.
Faced with rising greenhouse gas emissions and the increasing cost of fuel, we must find solutions to our energy needs. Unfortunately, proposed alternatives like biofuels and hydrogen keep us burning carbon-based fuels that harm ecosystems and human health. These impacts are scientifically documented and have been presented to our legislators. We need to choose other pathways. We need to stop sending our energy dollars out of state and instead invest in conservation, resiliency, and clean local energy.
So: what are our solutions?
Volunteers in 350VT's network have spent thousands of hours researching, discussing, and collecting input on the climate action steps that will best serve Vermonters (along with the rest of life on Earth!). These solutions keep energy dollars in our local economies, improve our quality of life and resilience to disasters, safeguard our health and the health of our ecosystems, AND reduce carbon emissions.
Weatherization, heat pumps, and geothermal networks: Let’s incentivize and scale up weatherization of Vermont buildings and homes to reduce heating and cooling needs. Let’s meet our remaining demand with heat pumps powered by solar and wind energy and networked geothermal. That means enacting legislation like H.242, which authorizes the development of community-scale geothermal and other kinds of thermal networks.
Renewable Energy Standard reform: Our current Renewable Energy Standard allows us to use unbundled renewable energy credits to meet our goals without bringing any new renewables online—and that means we’re not reducing our region’s overall emissions or increasing community resilience. H.320 would create an updated RES that moves us away from carbon-emitting industries, including biofuels, and requires 60% of Vermont’s electricity to be produced through local or regional solar and wind by 2032.
An effective Affordable Heat Act: 350Vermont has testified on S.5, the Affordable Heat Act, and submitted specific changes for consideration that would help the bill achieve resiliency, affordability, and effective emissions reductions. Let’s make sure this major piece of climate legislation will bring about the real solutions we need.
Ecological resilience and biodiversity: Let’s sustain Vermont’s carbon sinks and protect our forests, wetlands, and working landscape. Ideas like those outlined in H.126 would make a lot of progress toward this goal.
Transportation: To improve quality of life and access to services, while reducing emissions, let’s pass a Transportation Bill that invests in free, convenient public transit in both urban and rural areas, and encourages localities to create more walk/bike infrastructure in their city centers.
Energy affordability: Let’s enact ratepayer protection and equitable approaches that fairly distribute the benefits of clean energy, thereby protecting working people, families and the most vulnerable Vermonters. H.56 would be a good start on these goals, authorizing a statewide electric-bill-reduction program.
Divest from fossil fuels: Let’s pass the two bills under consideration right now—H.197 and S.42—that lay out a plan to fully divest Vermont pension funds from fossil fuel companies.
These are just a few of the specific, impactful policies that we need our legislators to pass to ensure that, as we transition off of fossil fuels, we are doing so in an affordable, fair and effective way.
We are joined by three community members to share their personal stories of how different types of energy and false solutions to the climate crisis have affected them, their families, and their communities. In addition, we are delighted to have with us two House Representatives who are committed to bringing a just transition to the climate and energy issues we are facing in Vermont.
Marisa Keller, 350VT member
Grace Palmer, St. Michael’s College Student
Nikki Jiraff, parent, Families Rise Up
Earl Hatley, He is an enrolled citizen of the Missisquoi Band of Abenaki Nation with Cherokee/Shawnee heritage and is a disabled veteran
Representative Mari Cordes, Addison-4
Representative Caleb Elder, Addison-4
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