Congratulations to Marlboro College for receiving an $83,000 Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund (VCEDF) grant to retrofit a classroom at Dalrymple Hall, and to the Brattleboro Retreat for receiving a similar $50,000 grant to buy and install an energy-efficient boiler. Energy efficiency is an important part of the state power portfolio as we seek to reduce carbon fuel dependency.
VCEDF has funded countless similar projects across Vermont in recent years. Although one-time federal stimulus dollars paid for this latest round of projects, historically they have been funded mostly by Vermont Yankee.
Vermont's largest in-state electricity generator has provided $19,500,000 in “seed money” for community-based energy projects and is scheduled to provide millions more in future years. According to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Vermont Yankee is a zero carbon emitter and one of the main reasons why Vermont has the smallest carbon footprint for electricity production in the United States.
With these unique benefits in mind, concerned Vermonters should encourage utilities and Vermont Yankee's owners to reach a power deal that gives us the best of both worlds: protection of our interests with respect to oversight and decommissioning, and Vermont Yankee's low-carbon, low-cost electricity and support for local green energy.
The VCEDF is living proof that small-scale green energy and baseload nuclear power can work together towards a low-carbon energy future.