| I'm not privy to what the conversations are, but the close vote in the Senate could simply be a backlash against Shumlin's wildly egoistic leadership style this session. If that's it, and it's essentially personal, the response is easy: Get over it. NOW.
What's more complicated though is what SPS was talking about; that is, the resistance to the funding mechanism (the windfall profits tax on Vermont Yankee). I would remind folks that this needs funding, number one. That's just a fact of life - and that the original funding was going to come exclusively from a tax on heating oil itself which was, quite frankly, a heels-dug-in stance from some who seemed patronizingly unmoved by concerns of up-front regressive taxation on a life-or-death utility such as heat regardless of concerns about whether or not some people had the money up front. That idea died an ugly death, and I for one popped the champagne.
But the idea of taxing Vermont Yankee is bringing Dems from out of left field to boost their pro-business bona fides. Treasurer Jeb Spaulding, of all people (who I like and respect a lot) has even decided to weigh in on the issue, presumably as a chance to grab the Dem pro-business crown.
Let me be absolutely clear: This issue is so straightforward, so clear cut, so easy, that if you can't support this tax, you really don't buy into the idea that businesses should be taxed at ALL. Period. If this one bugs you, you won't find one that doesn't, and what wing of the Democratic Party does that put you in?
If you want to be serious about this, it's not a "business tax," it's a nuclear waste tax, which strikes me as more than reasonable. As far as business is concerned, this bill will drive down costs for small business. Nobody, as far as I know, is even wasting their breath disputing that.
And it has straightforward symmetry. It's an energy bill, so it finds funding from the energy sector. And it finds funding from an energy producer that we are going to have to wean ourselves off of eventually. Until the waste and safety problems are solved, nuclear power is dangerously unsustainable. It's not an option. Expanding nuke power to cover even an additional 15-20% of our nation's needs would require a new Yucca Mountain sized waste facility every few years. Let's consider this a sin tax, eh?
But more than that, Entergy is rolling in dough. Through no business acumen of their own - simply the market - they are raking in phenomenal profits. They. Can. Handle. It.
The line is that this will somehow break a deal with Entergy made during their relicensing, which walks dangerously close to outright dishonesty. There were no "deals." Things change, and those things can come into play in the next relicensing if they wanna fuss about it. Just as the fact that the waste was supposedly going to be moved out of state. We might want to revisit that understanding next time.
Folks, don't let the Legislature weenie out on this. Call your Senators and Reps ASAP. If we let this go by, we'll be wishing we had a "do nothing" Legislature, rather than a Legislature that is part of the problem... if there was ever an activist ball that needed to get rolling on an issue this year, this is it.
(addition from J.D - Senate contacts here and Representatives here.) |
250-1
55-1
