Total Energy News – September 2020
Your Update on Vermont and National Energy News
Greetings!
We are excited to announce the pitches that were selected to present at our annual Network Summit. These are ten visionary and strategic ideas that hold the promise of helping to rapidly, cost-effectively, and equitably reduce fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas pollution:
Total Energy
  • “Foundational Research: Mapping Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Vermont’s Energy Sector; and Public Sector Spending on Climate Change: Where are we?” presented by: Kelly Lucci (Efficiency Vermont); Dan Quinlan (SolaVida)
  • “Regenerative Workforce Housing Development Plan” presented by: Alison Low and Nicole Gratton (Northeastern Vermon Development Association)
  • “Renew Vermont: Building a Movement for a Just and Equitable Future” presented by: Kiah Morris and Kate Logan (Rights & Democracy)
Transportation
  • “Vermont Replace Your Ride Program” presented by: Paul Zabriskie (Capstone); Linda McGinnis (EAN Senior Fellow)
  • “The Future of Rural Transit: Combining and Electrifying School and Public Transportation” presented by: Cara Robechek (VEEP); Jenn Wallace-Brodeur (VEIC); Jenn Wood (GMT); Peggy O’Neill-Vivanco (UVM – Vermont Clean Cities Coalition)
  • “Statewide, State-Funded Fare-Free Transit” presented by: Jack Hanson (Sustainable Transportation VT); Chris Harrell (UVM)
  • “A Vehicle Feebate Program for Vermont” presented by: Senator Andrew Perchlik
Thermal
  • ” Vermont’s Clean Heat Strategy (Part 1): the Renewable Heat Standard” presented by: Richard Cowart and Rick Weston (RAP)
  • “Vermont’s Clean Heat Strategy (Part 2): The Light at the End of the Pipe” presented by Don Rendall (VGS) and Richard Cowart (RAP)
  • “Invest in Vermonters: A Plan to Save Money & Improve Health for Low and Middle Income Households” submitted by: Ludy Biddle (Neighborworks of Western VT, Sen. Chris Bray, Rich Cowart (RAP), Joey Miller (VNRC), Richard Faesy (EFG), Kelly Lucci (Efficiency Vermont), Neale Lunderville (VGS), Marc Mihaly
The Summit will take place over two partial-day sessions. Thursday, October 1st from 9:00 – 3:30 will be open to network members, public partners, and all members of the public. Friday, October 2nd from 9:00 – 12:30 will be open to network members and public partners only.
To learn more and register visit https://eanvt.org/events-and-initiatives/2020-summit/.
We are also seeking nominations for the Anne & Arthur Berndt Award, which will be presented on second day of the Summit. The award is named after our founders and recognizes an EAN member who has demonstrated vision, leadership, and commitment to creating a renewable energy future for Vermont. If you’d like to nominate a Network member (individual or organization) for the award, the deadline is next Monday, September 21st. 
Thanks and hope to see you at the Summit!
Jared & Carolyn
News from the World

A simple, more useful way to tax carbon
The latest issue of the journal Nature Climate Change contains a study that attempts to sketch out a new a near-term to net zero (NT2NZ) approach to carbon pricing.
VOX,

How SUVs conquered the world – at the expense of its climate
Exclusive new emissions analysis shows how much more dangerous for the climate SUVs are than smaller vehicles, and how embedded they have become in our lives.
The Guardian,
Transition to EVs could save $72B in health costs
A report from the American Lung Assoc. says widespread transition to EVs could help avoid billions in public health costs nationally due to emission reductions.

UtilityDive
Data Download – Historical Emissions and Targets
With Governor Scott’s recent veto of the Global Warming Solutions Act, and discussions of a possible override, we wanted to highlight this graphic from our 2019 Annual Report which shows Vermont’s historical emissions and what lies ahead to meet the reduction targets established in the Comprehensive Energy Plan of 2016. For the first time, this year’s report broke out our historic emissions by sector to highlight the significant challenges – and opportunities — we face in transportation and thermal. After trending upward between 2010 and 2015, Vermont’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions finally began declining in 2016. However, as of 2016, we are still 13% above our 1990 levels.
Forecasts for 2017 and 2018 show that electricity sector emissions will continue to experience a durable and precipitous decline—to 83 percent below 1990 levels by 2018—primarily due to Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard, which went into effect in 2017 and requires an increasingly clean and renewable electricity supply through 2032. The RES alone should help get us more than a quarter of the way toward meeting our commitment to the Paris agreement.
VBSR Fall Conference
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
VBSR’s 30th Annual Conference will explore three themes: Anti-Racism, Business Resiliency in the Era of COVID, and The Climate Crisis. This full-day virtual event will include a keynote address, a panel discussion with Vermont’s Federal Delegation, and 9 interactive workshops, as well as time for networking and self-care.
Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) Webinar on ensuring environmental justice and equity in a regional low-carbon transportation program
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
This webinar will focus on proposed measures intended to ensure the program fosters equity for overburdened and underserved communities, building on states’ longstanding commitment to designing a program that benefits all communities, including those on the frontlines of air pollution and climate change impacts.
Drive Electric Week Sierra Club Story Contest
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
7:00 PM
As part of National Drive Electric Week (September 26 – October 4), the Vermont Sierra Club is holding a contest for members to capture 2-minute video stories on why they drive an Electric Vehicle. On September 30, they will announce our three winning videos and hold a virtual community conversation at 7 pm focused on the benefits of electric vehicles. The conversation will feature proud Vermonters discussing their experience. The event is designed to share information about the advantages and challenges of electric vehicles, allow folks to ask questions to current owners, and see which electric vehicles might fit their needs. 
Button Up Events
Ongoing throughout the fall
Button Up has a big schedule of events this fall to help people start weatherizing. They’ll provide a short and sweet review of weatherization topics on Weatherization Wednesdays at noon. And a deeper dive in the evening events.
REV Conference
Ongoing October through January
For nearly two decades, the REV Conference has been the leading renewable energy event in northern New England. Organized by the nonprofit trade association, Renewable Energy Vermont, this annual forum brings together business leaders, system operators, architects, builders, manufacturers, engineers, scientists, policy makers, and regulators. REV2020: Power to Renew will take place virtually with sessions from September through January.
Member Profile
Drive Electric Vermont
Drive Electric Vermont is a statewide coalition of policy makers, industry leaders, and ordinary citizens, hosted by Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC), and dedicated to promoting the spread of electric transportation in the State. The Drive Electric Vermont website also serves as “VT’s Statewide EV Resource” including easy to access and use information about the three dozen EV models now available for purchase in Vermont, including their range, prices and incentives, and much more.

The Vermont Total Energy Ticker

VT solar installers worry about shrinking support
A developer says that changes to state net metering and federal tax credits will make projects harder to put together without integrating storage.

Vermont is cleaning up its heating
Wood pellet usage for residential space heating has grown significantly over the last 10 years, but coal space heating still exists in the state, and the Clean Energy Development Fund is hoping to change that.
Drop in driving spurs research in commuting behavior
The Covid-19 pandemic has opened new avenues of research for Vermont groups that are studying driving behavior.

Have an upcoming event or news story to share? Let us know.