Wind is Supported by Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility

Burlington, VT – Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility released the following statement Wednesday:

Vermont must take the challenge of growing our economy while maintaining a safe and affordable energy supply seriously. We must address the urgent issues of energy scarcity, peak oil and global warming with the innovative action we are known for. We must protect ourselves against price fluctuations that arise from over-reliance on any one source of power.

Vermont must continue to lead in the development of green jobs and businesses.  Our economic resiliency depends on capitalizing on our green brand, leadership, and innovation.  Vermont’s green economy employs more than 12,000 people in the state and the industry creates countless new opportunities each year.

For these reasons, VBSR supports the development of wind energy in Vermont.

We believe that a moratorium on wind energy development would not further our goals for a long-term commitment to renewable energy and the jobs that this sector of our economy provides to our state.

VBSR believes that Vermont can develop appropriate regulatory controls concurrently with enhancing our supply of safe, clean, and affordable energy options.

We ask the legislature to take steps to ensure that sustainable energy projects, which are critical components of our energy and economic development strategies, are subjected to rigorous but timely and predictable environmental review. A constructive regulatory infrastructure is good for the community, the project developer, and the environment.

We also ask the legislature to ensure that adequate resources are available to the regulatory agencies to implement permitting, compliance, and enforcement functions rigorously and fairly.

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