Preparation for the EAN Summit and Vermont and National Energy News

 
Total Energy News – August 2021
Your Update on Vermont and National Energy News
Greetings!
Now is the time to register for the 2021 EAN Network Summit! We are asking you to register now, because it will help us plan a better summit if we have a good indication of whether most people are planning to join us in person at Sugarbush, or to join virtually.

As we ask you to register, we want you to know that we are taking COVID seriously. Given the current surge, we have updated our policies for the Summit and are now asking people to only register for the in-person summit option if they are vaccinated against COVID, and to plan to wear masks for the indoor portions of the Summit, with the exception of when speaking at the podium, or eating and drinking. We are also hoping for good weather, which will allow us to have meals outdoors.

Also note that you can register now and change your registration from in-person to virtual or from virtual to in-person anytime before September 1 with no loss of funds. In fact, it will also be possible to change to virtual registration at any time before the Summit if you need to, though we may not be able to provide a full refund.

We are hard at work planning an engaging agenda for the Summit, and will be excited to share more information soon about the pitches to be presented. In all we received 17 pitch submissions before our deadline.

The EAN Staff Team (Jared, Cara, and Mei)
News from the World
A hotter future is certain, but how hot is up to us.

Some devastating impacts of global warming are now unavoidable, a major new scientific report finds. But there is still a short window to stop things from getting even worse.

New York Times
Cutting carbon pollution quickly could save 74 million lives

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions quickly would save tens of millions of lives. This data may be useful to inform updates to the federal calculations of the social costs of carbon.
National Public Radio
Defining ‘disadvantaged communities’ for EJ policy development

New York’s sweeping climate law will prioritize environmental justice communities — once it decides who they are.

Grist
Data Download
EAN Emissions Reduction Pathways Model
EAN has recently published a Whitepaper describing the EAN Emissions Reductions Pathways Model. This release is the culmination of many months of work, with the goal of presenting pathways for Vermont to meet its emissions reduction requirements, as set out by the Global Warming Solutions Act. Its purpose is to act as a reference for policymakers and members of the community to understand the scale and pace of action that will likely be necessary to meet Vermont’s emissions reduction requirements. The graphic above shows the scale of greenhouse gas emission reductions that each Pathway has been modeled to achieve by 2025 and by 2030.

The Whitepaper, a static version of the model, and a recording of a webinar about the model can all be seen on the EAN website here.
EAN Staff Profile
The lead author behind the EAN Pathways Model and Whitepaper is EAN’s Data Manager, Mei Butler (along with support from EAN Sr. Fellow Leigh Seddon).

At EAN Mei manages the collection and analysis of EAN’s data and the progress of the Vermont Energy Dashboard. She is a recent graduate from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (Masters of International Affairs), where she studied Energy and Environmental Policy, as well as data analytics. During her time at Columbia she also worked as an intern on the Policy Development team at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The majority of her time there was spent on energy efficiency topics, and she was also involved in a project regarding the use of the social cost of carbon in New York State.
What’s Coming Up?
EAN 2021 Network Summit
EAN’s Annual Summit is a time to:
  • Get the latest data and analysis on where Vermont stands relative to our renewable energy and emissions reduction commitments.
  • Hear visionary, strategic proposals about how we can rapidly, cost-effectively, and equitably reduce fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas pollution.
  • Connect and network with other leaders working on and passionate about energy and climate issues.
September 15 at Sugarbush Resort or virtual
Vermont Climate Council Meetings
All Vermont Climate Council meetings and subcommittee meetings are open to the public. The Climate Council pages on Vermont’s website includes information about meeting times and topics, as well as links to watch recordings of previous meetings.

In addition Stakeholder Engagement events are being planned for September, with regional events
  • September 21, 5:30-7:30pm, ECHO Leahy Center Burlington
  • September 22, 5:30-7:30pm (Island Pond or Brattleboro)
  • September 23, 5:30-7:30pm (Island Pond or Brattleboro)
  • September 25, 11am-1pm, Chandler Center for the Arts Randolph
And three online events in late September and early October. More information about all of these events will be available soon.
Help gather information about Energy Counseling
The State of Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity is coordinating an Energy Savings Counseling Workgroup to better understand energy counseling or coaching needs in the state. As part of this work they are looking for feedback from Vermonters within the next week. Please consider sharing this survey widely.
The Vermont Total Energy Ticker
GMP is revolutionizing its power grid to fight climate change

This article describes GMP’s pioneering work on Virtual Power Plant setups, and how other utilities around the country are learning from what is happening in Vermont.

Time Magazine
Largest renewable natural gas digester in NE begins operations

The largest anaerobic digester in the Northeast began full-scale production of renewable natural gas in Salisbury Vermont in July. The gas will be used by Middlebury College and VGS customers.

Vermont Digger
More than $15 million for Vermont energy and water projects

Appropriations Chairman Leahy announced more than $15 million for Vermont projects in the energy and water appropriations bill.

Senator Leahy’s Office
Have an upcoming event or news story to share? Let us know.