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🌗 It’s Friday, Oct. 25. Here’s what’s on deck:
- EV incentives on hold
- Tick season tip
- An elusive, endangered fish
But first,
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Vermont Public's biweekly dose of all things environment.
Building the plane while trying to fly it
In the movie Chicken Run, a flock of hens and a fickle rooster face the existential threat of being turned into chicken pies.
The chickens attempt all means of escape from their English farm, all unsuccessful. But in the end, they confront the danger and build a plane to fly away.
Sometimes, I feel a little like one of those chickens facing the seemingly intractable threat of climate change. We have to both address the root cause (cut down on fossil fuel emissions) and figure out how to live with climate-fueled disasters (restore floodplains, fortify our power grid, rebuild after destructive flooding). And trying to do both at once is really hard and really expensive, especially in a small state like Vermont.
For a recent Brave Little State episode, my colleague Abagael Giles spoke with people all over the state about their climate anxieties and heard from experts about how to ensure the energy transition doesn’t privilege a select few. Here are some takeaways:
🌲 Rural places have a huge need to improve efficiency: Think, weatherization, electric vehicle incentives, rebates for efficient appliances and heat pumps. These investments have the potential to bring significant savings to households that spend the biggest share of their income on energy bills. But those same people are also less likely to be able to afford the upfront costs.
💡 Some potential fixes: We need to train more electricians and heat pump technicians, provide financing to help homeowners make upgrades themselves instead of paying contractors, and make those benefits accessible through local organizations to improve public trust.
💲 A major boost from the federal government: Vermont got tens of millions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act to develop energy efficiency rebate programs. The state energy office plans to funnel that money towards low- and moderate-income households. If Vermont’s plan is approved, some households could see big discounts for things like a heat pump or upgrading their electric panel. Money would also go towards making new affordable housing developments more energy efficient.
😔🐔 Don’t feel guilty: If you can’t afford the upfront costs of lower carbon alternatives like an electric car, hot water heater or a high-efficiency wood stove — that’s not your fault! And research has shown shame and guilt are not effective motivators for taking action.
In other news:
❌⚡ State incentives for electric vehicles on hold until July, 2025 at the earliest. Up to this point, Vermonters could get up to $5,000 in state-level subsidies towards new and used EVs, depending on income. Funding for that program ran out this month because demand was higher than expected and the state officials failed to get a grant from the EPA that would have kept the subsidies going. Federal incentives are still available (up to $7,500), along with rebates from some utility companies.
🕷️🌱 If you want to avoid ticks, managing invasive plants might help: You’re more likely to find the ticks that carry Lyme disease on invasive species like Japanese barberry, common buckthorn and honeysuckle bushes. Over the next five years, researchers in Vermont and Maine will work to figure out best practices for managing these invasive plants that might also reduce the risk of tick-borne disease.
🦈 An endangered, elusive fish confirmed in Vermont waters: The shortnose sturgeon can weigh up to 60 pounds, has been around longer than most animals alive today, and wasn’t thought to exist in Vermont until this summer. That's when scientists found DNA from the species in the Connecticut River between the Turners Fall dam in Massachusetts and the Bellows Falls dam in southern Vermont. Now, they're looking for more evidence of the fish.
💰 Outside political donors funnel over $200K to sway future of Clean Heat Standard: An out-of-state group called Americans for Prosperity spent more than $60,000 on an advertising campaign designed to sour voters on the “clean heat standard” that the Legislature is set to vote on next year. Meanwhile, the group Green Advocacy Project contributed $180,000 to boost candidates it believes will support the policy. And local groups are getting in on the political spending too, including fuel dealers who formed a super PAC called Vermonters for Affordable Heat.
In your backyard:
Get out there:
🎨 Start a nature journal: Northern Woodlands magazine is hosting a two-hour workshop Saturday afternoon, Oct. 26 in Lyme, NH with a tutorial on how to draw birds and trees and what this whole nature journal thing is about. “No experience needed; just curiosity and an interest in recording nature.” Tickets are $30.
🌴🤔 Tree identification for birders (and non-birders): The forester leading the walk at the Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington says the outing will focus on trees, “but I probably won’t be able to resist talking about shrubs and herbaceous plants that we also encounter.” Open to people of any and all familiarity with trees and birds. Sunday, Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. Registration required with a suggested donation of $10 to $30.
🦃 November birding: On the first Saturday of every month, the North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier hosts a morning of casual birding. The only requirement is an appreciation of birds, and they have binoculars to lend if you need them. Nov. 2 at 8.am., be prepared to walk up to .6 miles on flat trails, no registration required.
🍏 Pride hike in Essex: Join a group of queer hikers and friends for a 2-mile walk around the Indian Brook Reservoir, where you can also camp. They’ll take a break to drink warm apple cider. Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m., registration required.
One last thing:
If you care about climate and environment issues this election season, start here:
There are some big decisions coming up after the election: the Legislature will determine the fate of the Affordable Heat Act, the state’s climate council will develop the next Climate Action Plan, Vermont will attempt to implement the Climate Superfund Act, the list goes on.
Elected officials have the power to help determine policy issues like how federal dollars are spent in Vermont for resiliency and electrification, how we protect against and respond to flooding, and whether to implement new rules around trapping and hunting. Read what candidates are saying this year, and a whole lot more context about how your vote matters when it comes to climate and environmental policies.
Enter your email to sign up for Out There
Vermont Public's biweekly dose of all things environment.
Credits: This week’s edition was put together by Lexi Krupp with lots of help from the Vermont Public team, including graphics by Laura Nakasaka and digital support from Sophie Stephens. Editing by Brittany Patterson and Sophie Stephens.
