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2016 Plan

Overview

The Department of Public Service (PSD) has completed an update of the Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP) and Electric Plan. The Comprehensive Energy Plan is required by 30 V.S.A. § 202b and the Vermont Electric Energy Plan is required by 30 V.S.A. § 202. Both are required to be complete and adopted by January 1, 2016, and updates are required every six years thereafter. 

The PSD has coordinated closely with other state agencies, via the Climate Cabinet and other means, to ensure that the CEP advances policy objectives across multiple areas. In concert with these efforts, the Department of Buildings and General Services has coordinated an inter-agency process to update the State Agency Energy Plan, which is integrated with the CEP and illustrates how the government of Vermont is leading by example. 

2016 Plan

Public Input

Public Review Draft

The Public Review Draft of the 2016 CEP may be downloaded here: CEP_Public_Review_Draft_092215.pdf.

Addendum

This draft addendum, released on November 11, 2015 for public comment, provides guidelines for electric distribution utilities in the preparation of integrated resource plans (IRPs) and information regarding the process the Department uses to determine whether a proposal is consistent with the Electric Plan under section 202(f) of Title 30.

The Draft of the Addendum may be downloaded here: DRAFT_2016_Electric_Plan_Addendum.pdf.

Public Process After Release of the Draft CEP

Comments on the Public Review Draft of the CEP were accepted in written form until November 9, 2015. They were also submitted to the Department at the public hearings described below.

Public Hearings Schedule/Materials
CEP Hearings: Goals and Agenda
  • Goals:
    • Provide an overview of the draft Comprehensive Energy Plan.
    • Solicit input and feedback from Vermonters on the approach and recommendations of the draft plan, to inform the final plan, due January 1, 2016.
    • Ensure any interested Vermonter can offer their ideas and comment on the draft, through brief, direct testimony as well as in written comments.
  • Agenda:
    • 6:00 Welcome: Department of Public Service and Regional Planning Commissions
    • 6:05 Overview of the Draft 2015 Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan - PSD
    • 7:00 Public Comment - The public will have an opportunity to offer any comments, reflections or ideas on the PSD’s draft energy plan. The exact amount of speaking time will be determined that evening, based on the number of attendees interested in speaking. Anyone interested in commenting, however, will have a time-limited opportunity to do so.
    • 8:00 Adjourn
    • Please note: Light refreshments will be served.

 

Public Process Before the Release of the Draft CEP

In order for the draft CEP to reflect current understanding of the state’s energy challenges, opportunities, and direction, the PSD solicited public, expert, and stakeholder input through July 24, 2015. This public input took the form of written comments, public meetings, and smaller meetings with individuals and stakeholders with a wide variety of perspectives. Public input was welcome before the release of the draft CEP, but the PSD required input by July 24, 2015 in order to inform the draft CEP.

  • Written comments were welcome by July 24, 2015. Throughout the spring and summer, the PSD was particularly interested in public input on the questions contained in this document. These questions framed discussions at the meetings described below.
Public Meetings

The PSD held a series of public meetings this summer to hear from Vermonters so that a wide range of views and experiences could inform the draft CEP. These meetings were of two types: 1) regional meetings on the CEP as a whole intended for the general public and 2) half-day topic-focused meetings aimed at experts and stakeholders.

Regional public forums:

The PSD held evening meetings to solicit input on the upcoming CEP in general, and the questions identified below in particular, in four geographically diverse locations around Vermont this summer. Following publication of the draft CEP in late summer, the PSD plans additional evening public meetings in other regions of the state.

Here are the PSD's slides used in these forums.

Dates and locations for the regional forums were:

  • July 9 - Woodstock (Billings Farm and Museum)
  • July 16 - Middlebury (Town Hall Theater)
  • July 20 - Manchester (Manchester Community Library)
  • July 23 - St Albans (Bellows Free Academy, Performing Arts Center Auditorium)

The events were co-hosted by the Vermont Department of Public Service, Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission, Addison County Regional Planning Commission, Bennington Regional Commission, Northwest Regional Planning Commission, and the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network.

Stakeholder and expert meetings:

The PSD also held half-day meetings on each of these four topics:

  • energy efficiency,
  • energy supply resources,
  • transportation, and
  • the electric grid and utility issues.

Meeting details follow:

Energy efficiency

June 24, 8:30am-noon

Noble Hall, VCFA, Montpelier

The session addressed energy efficiency in stationary applications, including electric power, building heat, and industrial process heat. Discussion topics included identification of market barriers, economic devlopment opportunities, program design, funding, financing, and codes and standards.

The electric grid and utility issues

June 24, 1:00pm-4:30pm

Noble Hall, VCFA, Montpelier

The session addressed issues specific to the electric sector, including grid infrastructure, utility planning and regulation. Discussion topics included advancing integrated utility planning in a context of increasing distributed energy resources, utility rate and regulatory structures, least cost infrastructure planning, and how to best take advantage of the smart grid to advance energy, environmetal, and economic objectives.

Energy supply resources

June 30, 8:30am-noon

Capitol Plaza, Montpelier

The session addressed energy supply resources across all sectors, including electric, heat, and transportation. Discussions focused on energy resources (including wind, solar, solid biomass, biofuels, biogas/digesters, natural gas, and petroleum). For each resource, discussions identified the current state of the market, future potential, challenges/barriers, and potential strategies for best use of the resource to meet Vermont’s energy needs. (While land use for energy supply was addressed here, the PSD expects to primarily solicit input for the CEP regarding siting for electric generation through the concurrent siting task force process required by H.40.)

Transportation

June 30, 1:00pm-4:30pm

Capitol Plaza, Montpelier

The session addressed energy use in transportation, including the demand for mobility and vehicle/fuel choice. Discussion topics included policies addressing land use/smart growth; the availability of different modes (bike, ped, transit, carpool, rail, etc.); interaction of energy policies with transportation revenue policies; electric vehicles; and liquid biofuels and other options for heavy duty transport.