Gov. Phil Scott has chosen Anthony Roisman, a private attorney with years of experience in nuclear energy and toxic waste litigation, to lead the Vermont Public Service Board.
On June 12, Roisman will replace Jim Volz on the three-member board charged with regulating energy projects and utilities.
He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1960 and Harvard Law School in 1963. He spent several years in the 1970s working for the Natural Resources Defense Council before becoming a special litigator and chief of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Hazardous Waste Section.
During the 1980s, Roisman worked on the landmark case Anne Anderson, et al., v. W.R. Grace, representing eight Woburn, Mass. families who sued several industrial companies for allegedly causing children to develop leukemia from contaminated water. The case, which ended with an $8 million settlement, inspired the book and movie A Civil Action.
Closer to home, the Weathersfield resident has represented several plaintiffs who opposed wind projects in Lowell, Deerfield and Sheffield.
Roisman could not immediately be reached for comment, but Scott told reporters Wednesday that his appointee would his share his opposition to ridgeline wind projects. Last month, the Public Service Board signed off on stringent new sound limits on large-scale wind projects.
In a written statement, Scott said, “Tony has been involved in administrative and legal proceedings involving energy facilities and energy issues for more than five decades, and I believe his experience will serve Vermont well as we navigate the transition to a cleaner and more affordable energy future that supports stronger economic growth and lower costs for families and employers.”
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Isn’t this kind of like Trump putting Rick Perry in as secretary of the DOE? Perhaps we should keep spewing stockcar exhaust until we can’t see the ridgetops any more.
Jeff Marshall, your comment shows you know nothing about Anthony Roisman. Do a search and learn something about him before making assumptions.
This is truly an excellent appointment. Mr. Roisman is a man of high integrity, and one would be hard pressed to find anyone more qualified. He often has fought for those marginalized and against well-funded adversaries. He has the ability to restore some public trust into the PSB process, which has been sorely lacking the last few years on multiple projects.
Kudos go to Scott on this one.