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This commentary is by Morgan Feldmann, a student who moved from North Carolina to Burlington to study political science, who is a senior at the University of Vermont, and who is a legislative intern for state Rep. Gabrielle Stebbins, D-Burlington.
Last month I had the opportunity to witness the second reading of S.5, the Affordable Heat Act, on the Senate Floor. In a surprising turn of events, a small faction of state senators rejected the possibility for Vermonters to enjoy the benefit of discounted clean energy, which was offered in the bill.
Even more bewildering was the justification given for their pushback. Fueled by misinformation, these senators promoted a narrative with no supporting evidence. One of the main points was first mentioned by Sen. Robert Starr. He said that “those in support of the AHA have not done their due diligence” and are simply asking you to “trust them” when voting, and characterized the passage of the Affordable Heat Act as putting “the cart in front of the horse.”
As I see it, “trust” is not the issue here; rather, this is an assessment of facts. The actions recommended in the Affordable Heat Act have been backed up by multiple state-led studies:
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Washington, April 27 Prominent television hosts and journalists have pushed back against online claims that the White House ... Washington, April 27 Prominent television hosts and journalists have ...