Breaking news! Apparently some Vermonters are ticked off about the way new electrical generation projects — think wind turbines and solar farms — are sited, permitted and approved.
Opponents to proposed renewable energy projects projects in the state — such as a solar farm in Charlotte, or the contentious Kingdom Community Wind project under construction at Lowell — have complained that the current process for reviewing these projects is highly technical, expensive, and unfriendly to neighbors. Right now, new electrical generation facilities are approved by the Vermont Public Service Board in a quasi-judicial process heavy on expert testimony.
But here’s the twist: In an apparent concession to this growing drumbeat of opposition, Gov. Peter Shumlin this week issued an executive order creating a new, five-person commission to study the way new electrical generation projects are sited, reviewed and approved — and to propose some possible improvements.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
Another commission? In Vermont the wind isn’t the only thing that blows.
Not only is the committee composed the same old crowd, it seems an obvious way for Shumlin to duck comment during an election: “Sorry my Blue Ribbon people are crafting advice and I can’t possible say anything that would hinder their important work.”
Shumlin’s contempt for ignorant woodchucks is evident. It’s only when groups like the GMC, VNRC, etc. finally object that he can even be bothered to pretend he’s listening. After all, if those orgs start complaining about him, it could hurt his liberal base. And what the hell is Gaye Symington doing on the panel, except for rubber-stamping the governor’s projects. God, it’s like Tammany Hall but they pass around tofu appetizers instead of cigars.