Dostis leaving Legislature

May 29, 2008

MONTPELIER – Rep. Robert Dostis, the Waterbury Democrat who has been in the middle of the debate on energy issues, from the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to the licensing of wind towers, will not return to the Statehouse next year.

Dostis has been a lawmaker since 2000 and chairman of the House Natural Resource and Energy Committee for four years. But it is time to step back from the amount of time and energy being an active legislator requires, said Dostis, who is also the executive director of the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger.

"The energy issues we face in Vermont require bold leadership beyond what he was able to do, given that he had to work with the Douglas administration," said James Moore of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. "We need solutions that match the severity of the problems we face. We have a solid foundation in Vermont to build on. Now we have to get to work. Chairman Dostis deserves credit for some of that foundation."

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Douglas vetoes presidential vote bill

May 17, 2008

MONTPELIER -- Gov. Jim Douglas vetoed his fourth bill Friday -- his third election-related rejection of the just-adjourned session.

In his veto letter, Douglas argued, "S.270 would fundamentally alter the presidential election method prescribed in the U.S. Constitution" and "contribute to the undoing of the delicate balance that the Electoral College maintains among the states."

Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, disagreed with Douglas' contention that the current system protected Vermont's interests."The state wouldn't be ignored if the number of votes you could get out of Vermont mattered," Burns said.

"You now have a governor who has vetoed every pro-voter bill that has been put to him this year," Burns said.

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Douglas vetoes bill to bypass Electoral College system

May 16, 2008

MONTPELIER, Vt. --Gov. Jim Douglas vetoed a bill Friday that would have added Vermont to a coalition of states seeking to elect the president and vice president via popular vote instead of the existing Electoral College system.

"I am not willing to cede Vermont's voice in the election, and ultimately in the operations of our federal government, to the influence and interests of larger states that would most assuredly prevail in all but the rarest occasions," said Douglas, who is a Republican.

State Sen. James Condos, who co-sponsored the bill in Vermont, says the big state-small state argument is a red herring. "Whoever has the most votes wins, that's the most simple answer," said Condos, D-Chittenden. "That's how we elect every other position in local and state governments across the country".

Common Cause and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group also supported the bill, and the change.

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Douglas vetoes Yankee decommissioning bill

May 8, 2008

MONTPELIER — Gov. Jim Douglas vetoed a bill that could have required Vermont Yankee to boost its commitment to the nuclear power plant’s decommissioning fund, saying he was protecting Vermont’s electric costs.

Those who supported the bill, however, said the measure would have protected Vermonters against long-term costs associated with the plant’s eventual closure.

Legislators who supported the bill wanted the plant’s owner to be held to a higher shutdown standard than is included in the 2002 Public Service Board agreement with Entergy. That agreement allows for waste to be contained at the plant for up to 60 years, during which the decommissioning fund would be expected to grow with interest. Symington called that time frame “ludicrous.”

“That was clearly a bad deal,” said Paul Burns, executive director of Vermont Public Interest Research Group. “What’s wrong with improving the situation if it’s going to be sold?”

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Vermont Passes New Legislation limiting Lead, Phthalates and Mercury!

NON-TOXIC KIDS BLOG

http://www.non-toxickids.net/2008/05/vermont-passes-new-legislation-limiting.html

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

As Vermont's legislative session closed, I held my breath and hoped that all or most of the environmental health bills would pass. And happily, most of them did.

The bill that I had been most involved in, S.152, the Lead in Consumer Products bill, passed both the House and the Senate.

Also passed by the House and Senate was H.352, the Lead in Housing bill.

To protect our families from the mercury contained in older thermostats, H.515 increased the manufacturers responsibility for the disposal of mercury containing thermostats. The bill sets up goals for recycling thermostats, gives a $5 amount to homeowners or contractors to recycle them, and sets up a reporting system about the progress of the recycling program.

And lastly, a bill that was threatened when lobbyists from Exxon Mobil flew in to little ole' Vermont to fight it, survived. S.261, Phthalates in Children’s Products, was passed by the House and Senate. This bill restricts the use of phthalates in toys and child care products for children under 3.

I want to thank Charity Carbine, of Vermont Public Interest Research Group for her tireless efforts in support of these bills, and the entire VPIRG staff for looking out for Vermont families.