Montpelier, Vermont – Vermonters are now encouraged to file complaints directly with Consumer Affairs and Public Information (CAPI) at the Department of Public Service about a company or developer’s potential failure to comply with the terms and conditions of a Certificate of Public Good (CPG). CPG’s are issued by the Public Service Board for the construction and operation of telecommunications and energy facilities. CAPI Director, Carol Flint, says, “Our Division is pleased to announce this protocol in order to give Vermonters clear direction on who to call and how their complaints will be addressed when they have concerns about the construction, operation, and maintenance of energy and telecommunications facilities. In developing this protocol, we consulted with numerous interested stakeholders including some who have previously made complaints. The Department continues to encourage public feedback over the next several months as we begin using the protocol, and will continue to modify it in the future as experience warrants.”
A copy of the protocol and information about how to file a complaint may be found at http://publicservice.
“As we work to achieve our energy and communications goals, local energy projects and cell towers are increasingly numerous and distributed across Vermont. While a majority of projects are constructed and maintained well, there will inevitably be problems to be addressed. This protocol helps to provide a consistent process for the handling of complaints, pursuing their resolution, and the associated data collection to facilitate public reporting,” says Christopher Recchia, Commissioner of the Department of Public Service.
The Department’s new protocol will be used for handling complaints about the potential failure of an entity to comply with the terms and conditions of a CPG issued by the Public Service Board under 30 V.S.A. §§ 248 or 248a. The purpose of this protocol is to ensure compliance with CPG conditions and to enable Vermonters to easily and effectively report on conditions they believe may not be in compliance with applicable CPG conditions. The Department will use the protocol to keep a record of such complaints, research and investigate concerns, track progress with compliance and resolution and respond to the people who have made complaints. The first report of complaints tracked under this new protocol is due to the legislature in January of 2017.
Will the complaints be retroactive? I mean, will the comments and voices that spoke out against a project in the past be compiled and reported? I know it is a little late, but it seems like something like that should be on the record and not just a vague historical memory.
I hesitate to think anything the DPS will do will have any effect unless it is in support of something the governor also supports.
Since people that work for the governor have to do his bidding in order to keep their jobs, this will just be another facade of transparency and public input. Projects need serious vetting and the process should not be biased by a political preference.