BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A fee on new and large buildings that use carbon-emitting heating systems went into effect in Burlington at the beginning of the year. But now, some councilors are pushing for a Town Meeting Day ballot question that could give them the authority to regulate more types of fuel.
“We’re asking that voters be allowed to consider applying the carbon impact fee to all systems that emit carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases, not just fossil fuel systems,” said Gene Bergman, P-Burlington City Council.
Burlington’s carbon impact fee is assessed to the owners of buildings 50,000 square feet and larger if they don’t replace their fossil fuel-powered heating systems when upgrading to a new system.
The rule also pertains to new construction if they choose to use nonrenewable heat sources.
The current ordinance does not call for a fee for the usage of fuels like renewable natural gas and wood, which Bergman says emit greenhouse gasses.
This potential ballot item would give the council the authority to put a fee on any fuels that emit greenhouse gases.
“What this would allow us to do is really tailor the fee ordinance to the state’s Clean Heat Standard when it’s finalized next January. And the voters really do deserve the right to decide on this and have that choice,” Bergman said.
While Democratic City Councilor Ben Traverse is in favor of exploring measures that get Burlington closer to its 2030 net zero goal, he would rather see a resolution pass to take the next few months and investigate the best ways to incentivize the building community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“We could take a few more months in order for us to consider all options and then ultimately make more progress on the same timetable as proposed by the other resolutions. My thinking here is let’s not just go down the one path of a carbon fee, let’s consider all possibilities and go down the path that’s most likely to succeed in our addressing our greenhouse gas emission issues,” Traverse said.
This will be up for debate on Monday. Bergman’s resolution needs to pass then in order to get it on the Town Meeting Day ballot.
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