Governor Peter Shumlin says Vermont’s top utility regulator should be appointed to
another six-year term. James
Volz has been chairman of the Public Service Board since 2005.
Over
the next few weeks, state utility regulators will review several large projects
that will shape the state’s energy future. The
projects include Vermont Yankee, a large wind energy development, and a new
power deal from Hydro-Quebec.
A
leading lawmaker wants to overhaul how utilities are regulated in Vermont by making the Public Service Board more politically accountable. Essex
Orleans Republican Senator Vince Illuzzi says the current structure leaves the
board in charge of state utility policy without enough input from the governor
or the Legislature.
We talk with Vermont author Woden Teachout about her new book, Capture the Flag: A Political History of American Patriotism. Also, Sen. Illuzzi proposes electing Public Service Board members, and we visit Burlington’s Ethan Allen Tower.
An influential legislator
says he’ll introduce a bill in the next legislative session calling for
the Vermont Public Service Board to be elected rather than appointed,
as the utility regulation panel is now.
A
group of municipal electric utilities wants to revive a wind project on an
abandoned military post in the Northeast Kingdom. The
Vermont Public Power Supply Authority says its 13 municipal utilities need to
replace some long-term contracts set to expire.