Protecting Vermonters from skyrocketing fossil fuel prices and worsening climate change requires replacing New England’s natural gas and oil power generation with a combination of onshore and offshore wind, solar, hydropower, and battery storage. Offshore wind’s consistent and predictable output, which is highest overnight and in winter, makes it a highly valuable complement to other sources of renewable generation. Governor Scott is right to recognize its potential and seek regional collaborations to increase the amount of offshore wind providing power to the New England grid.
Where Governor Scott and his administration continue to fall short is in unlocking Vermont’s own renewable energy potential. Scott’s tenure as governor has been characterized by executive actions that have slowed the pace of renewable development in Vermont. From the development of the nation’s strictest wind sound rule – unsupported by any scientific rationale – to hostility to the net metering program that supports rooftop solar, to his recent decisions to veto bipartisan legislation to reduce red tape for solar development and decommissioning, the governor’s energy priorities have undercut nearly every form of in-state renewable generation.
Vermont should seek every opportunity to explore regional collaborations that support offshore wind deployment. But the fastest way to bring new generation online is by making it faster, easier, and more predictable to build new renewable energy projects right here in Vermont.