Rachel Margulies

October 30, 2010

The campaigning in Vermont leading up to the November 2 elections, at all levels of government, highlights a plethora of environmental issues about which Vermont voters are concerned. In the days leading up to the election, here are a few of the key environmental issues weighing on voters' minds in Vermont's Campaign 2010:

Vermont Yankee

Easily the star of the environmental issues has been what is to be done about the relicensing of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor, whose license to operate expires in March of 2012. Concerns about the forty-year-old reactor that is currently operating at 120% capacity include: it's history of leaks and minor spills; the inability to get home insurance coverage which would protect homeowners in the event a spill damaged their home; and the possibility of daily radiation exposure to those who live in the area near the reactor. Those in favor of relicensing espouse the safety of the reactor and it's ability to provide nearly a third of Vermont's energy, and fear tax increases as a result closing the reactor.

This issue is most critical in Vermont's almost dead-heat gubernatorial race, where the Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie supports the relicensing of Vermont Yankee pending an investigation by the Health Department and federal regulators to assure the plants safety. In an interview with Vermont Public Radio on Oct. 12, Dubie said, "Until these questions are answered, and public health can be assured I cannot support the plant's continued operation past 2012." The Democratic candidate, Vermont Senator Peter Shumlin, who was part of the Vermont Senate that voted 26–4 to close Vermont Yankee in 2012 when it's license expires, continues to advocate for the closure of the reactor in 2012.

Water Quality

As the source of drinking water for nearly a third of Vermonters, the center of a million dollar tourism industry, and a mecca for sport and recreational activity, the water quality in Lake Champlain is a major issue for Vermont's voters. A combination of invasive species and phosphorus pollution from sewage, agricultural runoff and suburban sprawl threatens to degrade the Lake. One of the major voter contentions is over the success of Gov. Jim Douglas's Clean and Clear Action Plan to reduce storm water runoff. Initiated in 2003, the Plan's purpose is to reduce the phosphorus levels in Lake Champlain as required by the Lake's TMDL plan. The success of the Plan is up for debate in the minds of voters.

Sustainable Agriculture

A $ 700 million per year industry for Vermont farmers, the food system and agricultural regime has been an untapped voter concern in this campaign. Additionally a more then $ 200 million per year purchasing power exists in the local-food market. According to the Burlington Free Press, "[t]aken together, farming, food processing and their multiplier effects contribute more than $ 2.6 billion to Vermont's economy every year." The sustainable agriculture industry is a potential source of economic abundance, offering individual jobs and small business opportunities. Additionally, there is economic viability in sustainable agriculture and tourism, adding an estimated $ 3.7 billion a year to Vermont's economic activity.

Green Economy

Finding a way to provide jobs and invigorate the economy while addressing voter concerns about Vermont Yankee, sustainable agriculture, and water quality issues is a major objective for voters. By providing sustainable jobs, Vermont can boost its economic and environmental goals simultaneously. By focusing on creating a solid renewable energy industry, Vermont can add jobs and continue to increase it's solid hold on employing workers in clean energy. Additionally, the necessary clean up efforts at Lake Champlain offer an opportunity to boost the local job market.

Sources:

Free Press Staff Report, Vermont House Candidates Answer Questions, Burlington Free Press, Oct. 27, 2010, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20101027/NEWS03/10270305/-1/TOPICS0206/Vermont-House-candidates-answer-questions.

Vern Grubinger, The elephant in this year's Gubernatorial debates has been Vermont's dynamic agricultural economy, Burlington Free Press, Oct. 23, 2010, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010101023010.

Vermont Yankee, http://www.safecleanreliable.com (last visited Oct. 28, 2010) .

Vermont Natural Resources Counsil, http://www.vnrc.org (last visited Oct. 28, 2010).

Vermont League of Conservation Voters, http://www.vtlcv.org/(last visited Oct. 28, 2010).

Vote Green Vermont, http://www.votegreenvt.org/ (last visited Oct. 28, 2010).

Latest Discovery at Vermont Yankee Becomes Campaign Issue, Vermont Public Radio (Oct. 11, 2010, 5:50 PM), http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/88990/.

Brian Dubie for Vermont Governor 2010, http://briandubie.com/ (last visited Oct. 29, 2010).

Peter Shumlin for Vermont Governor 2010, http://www.shumlinforgovernor.com/ (last visited Oct. 29, 2010).