Global Warming Campaigns

Global warming pollution comes from three primary sources: Electricity, Heating and Transportation. At present, most of Vermont's global warming pollution comes from heating and transportation. But if immediate action is not taken Vermont will dramatically increase it's global warming pollution from electricity as the state’s contracts with Hydro Quebec expire and Vermont Yankee is shut down.

To avert the most serious impacts of global warming, scientists estimate that we have 10 years to begin to dramatically reduce our global warming pollution. To do so we will need to use energy efficiently, transform our transportation system and generate our electricity through renewable resources.

Fortunately, the technology exists today to make these changes possible. And investing in clean, safe and affordable energy sources will create thousands of good-paying jobs in Vermont and grow our economy.

What Vermont lacked so far is the political courage to do what is necessary to stop global warming. VPIRG is working to change that, and we need your help. Each section below outlines strategies we can take to cut global warming pollution from one critical sector. 

Electricity

(for more info see Decade of Change )
Take Action Now!

Dirty, Dangerous & Expensive
Vermont’s energy supply is dominated by dirty, dangerous and expensive sources. More than half of Vermont’s electricity is generated by nuclear power or fossil fuel plants. These sources pollute our air, poison our water and threaten our state with nuclear disaster.
Consider the following:
DIRTY
Vermont Yankee has produced over 1 million pounds of radioactive waste since it opened. Power plant emissions have triggered fishing advisories for all of Vermont’s rivers and streams because of the health risk posed to women and children by mercury contaminated fish. Power plants are a leading source of global warming pollution in New England.
DANGEROUS
A serious accident at Vermont Yankee could render the Green Mountains uninhabitable. From instability in the Middle East to revolutions in South America the price we pay for oil is far greater than its utility. In 2005 more than 6,000 people died in coal mine accidents worldwide.
EXPENSIVE
Vermont exports over 1 billion dollars every year to buy energy. Utility companies are already requesting double digit rate increases due to the rising cost of fossil fuels. Natural gas and oil prices have roughly tripled since 2002.

Clean, Safe & Affordable
Imagine a Vermont that relies on clean, safe, and affordable sources for all its energy needs: Wind farms dot a handful of ridgelines, our forests provide sustainably harvested fuel and existing dams on some of our rivers provide constant power. Small hydro-electric, wind, and solar installations also help power our farms, homes, and businesses.

We can build that energy future for Vermont, but to do so we must pass strong renewable energy standard.

Clean
We can meet the majority of Vermont’s energy needs without threatening public health or the environment. Experts believe that within one decade over half of the state’s electricity can be generated with Vermont based renewable resources.
Safe
A diverse electricity mix that is based on wind power, biomass, hydro-electric and limited purchases from the New England electricity market can provide the electricity we need when we need it. Increased focus on local renewable resources will help stabilize our electric grid against blackouts and decrease power lost through transmission.
Affordable
The price of the wind blowing across our ridges, the water in our rivers and the sun shinning does not change. Relying on fixed price fuels allows Vermont’s electric utilities to lock in long-term, affordable contracts for renewable power.

A Dangerous Alternative
Trading slightly less global warming pollution for nuclear waste is not smart or necessary. The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power station is one of the oldest nuclear plants in the country. Similar reactors have already been closed down due to safety concerns, and Vermont Yankee was designed to be shut down in 2012.

All of Vermont Yankee’s used and highly radioactive nuclear waste is being stored on the banks of the Connecticut River. There is no way to safely dispose of the waste and legislation has been introduced in Washington, DC to require that the waste stays in Vermont.

Heating

(for more info see Building Solutions)
Take Action Now!

Heating our homes and businesses creates nearly half the state’s global warming pollution. But we can improve the efficiency of our homes, reduce global warming pollution and save Vermonters money at the same time.

With common sense investments in weatherization, we can reduce global warming pollution form heating by 20 percent. Most of these investments will be recouped in under four years and provide hundreds of dollars of annual savings to homeowners.

In the year 2000 alone, heating our houses released 320,000 metric tons of global warming pollution. Not only does this reliance on fossil fuel heating hurt our climate, it’s tremendously expensive. Vermont residents spent an estimated $250 million to heat their homes in 2005 alone. And that price is increasing faster than our incomes can keep up. An average Vermont household that paid $418 to fill a 500-gallon oil tank in 1999 paid $1,115 for the same fuel in 2005.

Vermont has problems with heating for several reasons:

• Vermont’s housing stock is old. About 50% of the state’s homes predate any energy efficiency standards for buildings.
• The state’s heating equipment is also old. Of Vermont homes heated with fuel oil, 35 percent have a furnace that is more than 15 years old. Older furnaces may be as much as 40% less efficient than the newest furnaces.
• Vermont relies on high-emission fuels for home heating. Fuel oil, kerosene and propane heat 70 percent of homes in Vermont compared to 12 percent nationally.
• Nearly 30% of residences are rentals—properties where neither the owner nor renter has a strong incentive to maintain or improve energy efficiency.

But we have can improving the efficiency of our homes and reducing global warming pollution and save Vermonters money at the same time. With common sense investments in weatherization, we can reduce global warming pollution form heating by 20 percent. Most of these investments will be recouped in under four years and provide hundreds of dollars of annual savings to homeowners.

But to realize the missions of dollars in savings and stop global warming, Vermont leaders must immediately take action to:

• Expand state energy efficiency programs to aggressively and effectively address all homes, regardless of heating fuel or income level.
• Accelerate upgrades of building efficiency standards so all new homes built in the state are more efficient.
• Implement time-of-sale energy consumption disclosure requirements. And phase in a requirement that residential buildings meet upgraded energy standards if the building is sold.
• Offer tax credits to homes that are efficiently heated by renewable sources and encourage residential energy efficiency investment.

Transportation

(for more info see Shifting Gears)
Take Action Now!

Transportation is the leading source of global warming pollution in Vermont, responsible for more than 50% of the state’s emissions of global warming pollution. Worse, transportation-sector emissions have been rising for decades and are projected to continue to increase if we don’t change our behavior.

Thankfully, there are many good opportunities forth region to reduce global warming pollution from transportation, while at the same time reducing oil consumption and insulating the regional economy from energy price shocks.

Reducing Per-Mile Vehicle Emissions by:
1. Defend our innovative clean cars program– Vermont has adopted tailpipe emissions standards for cars and light trucks that could cut global warming pollution 30%. But the auto industry is suing Vermont to prevent us from adopting the final rules. The attorney general and Governor Douglas must vigorously defend our right to regulate global warming pollution in court.
2. Create incentives for the purchase of more fuel efficient vehicles – A program that combines fees for gas-guzzlers with cash rebates to purchasers of fuel-efficient vehicles could reduce global warming pollution from light-duty vehicles in the region by 5 to 31 percent below projected levels by 2020.

Encouraging Transit and Transportation Alternatives
3. Invest in the region’s rail infrastructure and develop a long-term rail plan – Passenger trains emit about half as much global warming pollution per passenger-mile as car or air travel. The governor and Agency of Transportation must make enhanced rail transit a priority and partner with other regional governors to connect our major population centers with pollution free shipping and transit this decade.
4. Expand town-to-town transit opportunities– By using smaller vehicles and more flexible routes, regional transit agencies like CCTA in Chittenden county are delivering effective service to more locations. More towns need this option and AOT should prioritize intra-county bus and rail routes
5. Expand pedestrian and bicycling opportunities– Careful planning and infrastructure investments can reverse the decline in non-motorized transportation.

Promoting “Smart Growth”
6. Encourage compact development – Building on the downtown development bill passed last year, Vermont towns can return to a more compact, traditional style of development that relies less on the automobile and can allow people to complete more of their daily tasks via transit, bicycle or on foot.
7. Eliminate state subsidies for Sprawl– Vermont should follow the lead of many other state and local governments are eliminating public subsidies for sprawl development, thereby encouraging more sustainable use of land and resources.

Reducing Single-Passenger Automobile Commuting
8. Create and expand commute-trip reduction programs– Employer-based programs to discourage single-passenger commuting can cut automobile trips by as much as 20 percent. Public and private policies that encourage people to live nearer to their work or telecommute can also make a difference.

Reforming Transportation Planning and Finance
9. Least-cost planning – Demand reduction, transit and other alternatives are often cheaper and less polluting ways to solve transportation problems in the long run than building new highways. “Least-cost” planning incorporates the social costs of automobile driving and the long-term benefits of stable transit infrastructure and avoided global warming pollution into the cost analyses of new road projects. The Agency of Transportation should adopt a least cost planning model for all new highway projects.

Take Action Now!

Together, we can make sure stopping global warming starts in Vermont. Every voice counts and you can make a difference. Here’s how:

Be part of the solution:
You can help by contacting your community leaders and legislators. and asking them to take action to stop global warming.

Write a Letter to the Editor:
VPIRG can help you write a letter, email or opinion editorial for your local newspaper. We can also offer tips for making sure your letter gets printed.

Host or attend a local lobby meeting:
VPIRG is organizing meetings between constituents and legislators in towns all over Vermont. You can take part by contacting Drew Hudson at 223-8421 ext.4787 or drew {at} VPIRG.org.

Attend a lobby day at the Vermont State House:
VPIRG and our allies are staging a citizen's lobby day at the Vermont State House in Montpelier on February 15. Stay in touch to find out details and join the campaign!