The Governor this week vetoed S.5, the bill that would set up the establishment of the Clean Heat Standard, which risks significant cost increases for commercial and industrial, as well as residential, oil and natural gas/propane customers.  Because it is a Senate bill, there will first be a vote in the Senate to override or sustain the Governor’s veto.  If the veto is overridden in the Senate, there will then be a vote in the House.  Both chambers must vote to override the veto (two thirds of those present and voting) for the bill to pass into law.  The Senate could vote as early as this coming Monday or Tuesday.

We strongly encourage anyone concerned about the bill to contact their Senators and Representatives and urge them to vote NO on S.5 (thereby opposing the override/supporting the veto). 

Key Concerns and Reasons to Vote NO on S.5

As reported previously, key concerns with the bill include a potentially significant increase in the cost of fossil fuels (primarily oil and propane/natural gas) for both space heating and commercial and industrial processing (estimated by ANR to be the equivalent of 70 cents a gallon across fuel types).

Of particular concern to manufacturers and other businesses, however, is the inclusion of fuels for processing applications, which have fewer options for converting to electricity or other cost saving efficiency or other investments than do space heating applications.

This is made worse by the bill because it does not allow program credits, which might offset some of the cost increases in fuel, for projects that switch from one fossil fuel to another, such as switching from oil to natural gas/propane.

These are the most likely and viable options for commercial and industrial customers to reduce emissions, especially from processing operations, yet the bill specifically discriminates against them.

For more on the substance and issues with S.5, see the related post here.

Contacting Your Senators and Representatives

You can find your Senators and Representatives by clicking here.  Click on their name links for contact information.

You can also leave messages for them in the State House by calling 802.828.2228.

Given the timing of the vote, we would recommend both emailing and leaving a phone message urging them to vote NO on S.5.

If you have any questions about S.5 or reaching out to your legislators, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@aivt.org.