Friction eases on energy legislation, but will it last?

January 7, 2008

MONTPELIER -- Rep. Robert Dostis sat down with Gov. Jim Douglas last month and talked about energy efficiency. Down the street, energy consultants hired by legislative leaders huddled with Douglas administration staff.

The significance? No such meetings of the mind were happening last legislative session as debate over creating an energy-efficiency program erupted into political warfare, reaching a crescendo in June with a gubernatorial veto. The Democratic-controlled Legislature and Republican governor could not agree on the scope of a program to make Vermont homes and businesses more energy efficient or how to pay for it.

Since the Legislature last met in July, the price of heating fuel has climbed. Meanwhile, in October, the Governor's Climate Change Commission listed expanding the state's electric efficiency program to all fuels as one of its top recommendations.

Some say those factors leave Douglas no choice but to accept the energy legislation. "His position has shifted," said Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. "He's willing to embrace the fundamental concept of an energy-efficiency utility."

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