Biofuels and Greenwashing must stop!

The VT legislature is beginning to work on specific actions to hopefully reduce our GreenHouse Gas Emissions according to goals already set.  One project is to establish a Clean Heat Standard. Some proposals already presented to the House Energy & Technology Committee encourage the use of so-called “renewable energy” sources that actually are as bad or worse than fossil fuels. It is important that we understand these issues and ask our legislators to demand evidence and accountability as they consider legislation.

 

Stuart Blood of Thetford has written a Fact Sheet and a cover letter to the House Energy and Technology Committee that lays out the facts and concerns very clearly.  Please read these at: https://lists.vitalcommunities.org/lists/d_read/thetford/2022-01-24%20letter%20to%20HET.pdf

 

Then write your own letter to the Committee members!

Geoffrey Gardner wrote the following on this same topic, and it includes the names and e-mails of the Committee at the end:

Urgent!

Contact the House Energy and Technology Committee

Today and Insist They Reject All False Solutions

Proposed as Part of a Clean Heat Standard

     

All this week, the House Energy and Technology Committee is holding hearings on possible adoption of a so-called Clean Heat Standard. The aim of the proposal is to encourage Vermonters to switch from fossil fuels to a variety of “clean” heating solutions in order to help meet the State’s GHG emissions reduction targets. Some of the proposals being considered are sound and necessary. For example, weatherization at scale and the use of heat pumps must be a priority along with revision of Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard so that our electric supply eliminates greenhouse gas emissions in fact and not just on paper.

 

But at the same time, committee members are being asked to adopt a menu of fuel alternatives that are likely to make our climate and energy situation no better and quite possibly worse: liquid biofuels, biomass and "renewable" natural gas.

 

Please write to members of the House Energy and Technology Committee and urge them to reject vague generalities promoting use of these fuels. Instead, ask committee members to dig deeply into the evidence presented to them to determine the full climate consequences of each fuel with respect to:

 

     1. land use and land use changes resulting from fuel production;

     2 energy use required during fuel production;

     3. energy use and hazards associated with transport and distribution of fuels;

     4. life cycle assessment of whether switching to each fuel can provide meaningful

          emissions reduction;   

     5. clear evidence that no negative Just Transition consequences will result for people in      

           in Vermont or outside Vermont from the production, transmission or use of each fuel.

 

The Committee must not allow any fuel that cannot be shown to meet this test to be considered "clean."

 

The Clean Heat Standard also proposes a system of credits, penalties and credit trading for companies that deal in fuels and heating equipment and will be required to meet the standard. Committee members must determine how the details of this system will work so that we don't merely end up with another system of credits and offsets that accomplish reduction of emissions on paper but not in the atmosphere.

 

A group of voters in the Windsor-Orange 2 district have compiled a fact sheet on biofuels and have sent it with a letter to committee members urging them to demand that the cCmmittee be shown clear evidence that these biofuels and the credit system supporting their use is not just another greenwashing gambit. Their letter and the fact sheet is here. [see above for the actual link]

These are the members of the House Energy and Technology Committee. Please write to them today and urge them to demand that proponents of biofuels show clear evidence that a Clean Fuel Standard credit system including these fuels will be an actual GHG emissions benefit. And if this can't be shown these fuels should not be allowed under a Clean Heat Standard.

     Tim Briglin - Chair - tbriglin@leg.state.vt.us;

     Laura Sibilia - Vice Chair - lsibilia@leg.state.vt.us;

     Heidi Scheurmann - hscheurmann@leg.state.vt.us

     Sally Achey - sachey@leg.state.vt.us;

     Seth Chase - schase@leg.state.vt.us;

     Avram Patt - apatt@leg.state.vt.us;

     Lucy Rogers - lrogers@leg.state.vt.us;

     Katherine Sims - ksims@leg.state.vt.us;

     Michael Yantachka - myantachka@leg.state.vt.us

The House Energy and Technology Committee Must Reject

All Greenwashing, All False Climate Solutions

And All False GHG Emissions Reductions Schemes