Breaking News! 
By Pete Behr 

A surprising study conducted by the non-partisan Center for the Study of State Legislatures concluded that 58 percent of Vermont’s legislators are not entitled to their opinions. This compares to New Hampshire’s Legislature, where only 37 percent of lawmakers were found deficient.

"On topics ranging from gay marriage to global warming to pre-kindergarten education, I found that the opinions expressed were so off-base and ill-informed that they actually hurt Vermont citizens, and indeed all society, by being voiced," said the study leader, Professor Ignatius Futzmeister of Middlesex College, who encountered the study subjects by telephone, email and at lunch and dinner meetings in some of Montpelier’s best-known watering holes. "While people have long asserted that it takes all kinds, our research shows that American society, and Vermont in particular, has a drastic oversupply of the kinds who don’t have any good or worthwhile thoughts whatsoever. We could actually do just fine without them."

In 2002, Professor Futzmeister and his team shook the academic world by conclusively proving the existence of both bad ideas during brainstorming, and dumb questions during question and answer sessions. Montpelier proved to be a fertile proving ground for his theories. 

Okay…I made this up. But a real study would dissect the dumb ideas which went into the "global warming" bill, H 520. What’s wrong with our media? Did they read the bill? It is so full of holes that it cries out for serious analysis. Many other bills also got a free pass from the press. We are not being well served by our media.

Apparently Peter Shumlin felt he had to have an "environmental" bill to establish his bona fides to run for higher office in 2008. My imaginary study rings remarkably true.

More on H 520. You may be tired of my harping on the "global warming" bill, but I feel obligated to point out its shortcomings. It is so full of wishful thinking that it is difficult to pick out its worst feature, but I think that Section 3 is the most far-fetched. It calls for Vermont to produce 25 percent of its energy requirements by 2025 from renewable sources, particularly from its farms and forests, and requires that the Commissioner of Public Service present a plan to attain this goal by January 15, 2008. The Legislature passed the bill, and then asks that a study be made to prove its merits!

It is irresponsible of the Legislature to set a goal of this importance without having conducted serious study of its feasibility beforehand. How can Vermont produce 25 percent of its energy requirements from renewable sources within our state?

It is not evident that we can, at any reasonable cost. Shades of the Champlain Flyer, the Burlington commuter train financed by the state (Howard Dean) to the tune of millions, but which attracted no passengers. They forgot to do a market study!

I have had some spirited email exchanges with Alison Clarkson, who voted for H 250. Alison says that "research" financed by government is a good idea, and cites National Health Service research, which has helped discover and develop many key medicines. But H 520 does not open the door to any significant energy research. 

Let’s look at the possible sources cited in H 520: wind, solar, hydro, biofuels. None of these sources, individually or combined, offer the potential to attain 25 percent of our energy needs in-state, at a competitive cost. As to energy research efforts, hundreds of millions of dollars are already being spent at our major research universities: Stanford, M.I.T., and others, to develop the most promising processes to replace fossil fuels and to chart future energy policy. There is no silver bullet, but conservation is essential. 

What the Legislature should do, and has utterly failed to do -- perhaps because it is simple and straightforward, but doesn’t catch the fancy of the enviros who are being courted by Mr. Shumlin and Ms. Symington -- is institute a comprehensive energy conservation plan encompassing all state government activities. The State of Vermont is our largest employer, and a serious plan to conserve energy in heating and cooling government workplaces, and in fueling its fleet of vehicles, could result in very large savings, and most important, would set a good example.

Asparagus and wine: This time of year, asparagus is popping up in many gardens and is featured in produce departments of our grocery stores. It is a delicious seasonal treat, but its bitter taste makes finding a wine to accompany it difficult. Try sauvignon blanc, but drink any wine, and enjoy the asparagus!
 

Pete Behr writes a regular column for the Vermont Standard