VPIRG delivered a petition signed by 1412 Vermonters to the Public Service Board on Monday in support of keeping Vermont’s net metering program strong.
The petition asked the Board to address the concerns as raised by VPIRG, VNRC, Vermont Conservation Voters and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility in their July 15th comments regarding the Board’s proposed changes to the program.
Vermont’s net metering program has allowed over 6,000 Vermonters to go solar and enabled Vermont to become a leading state in solar jobs per capita. Some of the most concerning aspects of the Board’s recent changes would make the program more expensive for current customers and limit the number of Vermonters that have access to small scale renewable energy projects in the future.
Vermonters support our net metering policy because it encourages residents to invest in our clean energy future, supports local businesses and job creation in the state, and expands opportunities for local, distributed energy generation that strengthens the electric grid. We’re encouraged that the Board is reconsidering its proposed changes to net metering, and are confident that they will take the voices of these 1400 Vermonters into consideration as they move forward.
Read the full text of the petition:
To the Vermont Public Service Board,
While we, the undersigned, appreciate the Board’s hard work to design a net metering program for the next stage of Vermont’s transition to renewables, we share the concerns raised by VPIRG, VNRC, Vermont Conservation Voters and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility in their July 15th comments. In particular, we ask that the Board:
– Remove any provisions that would make net metering more expensive for current customers.
– Remove the cap on the size of the program.
– Ensure that the rate people get for their renewable energy makes solar accessible for more Vermonters, not fewer, including people that cannot install renewables on their own property.
– Continue to allow municipalities, schools, etc. to go renewable for most of their energy by eliminating the per-customer cap.
Thank you for your efforts on this, and for taking the comments we and other Vermonters have made on the net metering program to heart.