During the Holidays, I wish to thank again all of those who have conveyed so many kind words following my decision not to seek a fifth term in the Vermont Senate. Service in the Senate is a profound honor, and I cannot think of anything I would take in its place. I am proud of my accomplishments working with others committed to a collaborative and tolerant approach to the development of public policy. Among the most important are the passage of Lake Shoreland Protection legislation which will serve to enhance water quality in Vermont, an vital step in the protection of lakes and ponds and a benchmark precursor to the investment which must be made in impaired watersheds and to repair the damage to Lake Champlain, a situation which must be rectified and is deserving of serious general fund support. Further, the passage of legislation I introduced in the Senate and Rep. Bill Botzow in the House to assure flood resiliency on Vermont’s rivers and streams by giving the Agency of Natural Resources the necessary tools and authority to conserve and otherwise protect land subject to severe flooding was a major accomplishment. Considerable progress has already been made, and another Irene storm event will not inflict the same damage as we experienced in 2011. The passage of solid waste legislation setting the course for implementation of the aggressive goals found in Act 148 including the framework for construction debris recycling to address almost 20% of the waste stream also passed. I was able to secure passage of two Acts relating to energy policy, one to assure that the Department of Public Service specifically advocates for residences, senior citizens and small businesses in proceedings before the Public Service Board and another to require that Efficiency Vermont, in its current zeal to promote heat pumps, does so only after assuring residences are properly insulated so as to minimize adverse effects on the electric grid. Many thanks go to Senator Mark MacDonald for his work on this legislation. I am also pleased that my school consolidation legislation in 2009 began the focus on runaway property taxes and assisted to create lead Regional Education Districts, a step toward a total revision of education finance which must occur. Efforts I shared with others on the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee to control the indiscriminate siting of industrial renewables and to address the forest fragmentation problem in Vermont again set the stage for major reform. The siting of energy projects including pipelines in both Vermont and Massachusetts should be required in existing power and transportation rights of and not across conserved lands as is proposed in Massachusetts; the shortest route is not necessarily the best or, for that matter, the cheapest route.. All of these projects have severe environmental impacts and must be vigorously regulated as such. There is more but it is important to inform that I am very happy on Cape Cod where I have had a deep connection since childhood. There is so much activity much of it relating to the environment that it is hard to know where to begin. However, I have been appointed to the Town of Harwich Conservation Commission; the municipal Conservation Commissions have the power to administer and enforce the Massachusetts Wetlands Act giving Commissions significant power to protect wetlands, river banks, barrier beaches and sand dunes among other things; I continue with my passion for the environment by assisting to deal with the management of these vital resources in the face of rising water and a serious nitrogen problem caused by septic systems common on the Cape as we plan for meeting water quality standards just as Vermont must do for Lake Champlain. Fortunately, many of our lakes and ponds created by the glacier remain remarkably clean assisted in part be aggressive land conservation. In my town, about 1200 acres have been conserved through the auspices of the Harwich Conservation Trust, the Town, and a steady stream of funding is available through a fee imposed on real estate transactions and funding provided through various state mechanisms along with vital donor support. Virtually every town on Cape Cod has a land trust. I also serve on the By Law and Charter Revision Committee and am attempting to place a ballot question by petition to ban non-reusable bags in Harwich, something seven other Massachusetts towns including Falmouth and Provincetown on Cape Cod and elsewhere around the country have enacted. (I tried to pass legislation in Vermont without success so the glory went to California for addressing the obviously negative environmental consequences involved.) There is much to be learned from the Massachusetts experience which would be interesting and rewarding to impart to the Vermont legislature. I plan to step up the sailing next summer to the extent other duties allow. Time on Pleasant Bay was special as always including time aboard Conjurer, a 28 foot Crosby catboat built in 1909 and painstakingly restored; she is a site to see and fun to sail. Coincidently, Wendy’s former decades-ago boyfriend, Joe, previously owned Conjurer so it was especially fun to sail with the new owner Fred and his family, Joe, his wife and us. Several sailing excursions have prevailed. New and old friends are what Cape Cod is all about for us. Wendy is having fun in real estate with William Raveis Real Estate in Chatham; it is a really good profession for her given her engaging personality and joy of being with others as those of you who know her can attest. The place is alive with winter activity including various walking groups and other community activities to a far greater extent than we have seen before. I could not complain early Thursday morning hiking through much of Chatham only to end up at the Chatham Bars Inn where one of our group treated us to coffee and baked goods looking across the harbor to the ocean…a good way to start any day. I send along some pictures including the Province Lands, the fabulous sand dunes protected by the Cape Cod National Seashore allowing, an adventure into an absolutely different world. The highest dune is named Mount Arrarat (where Noah found himself after the flood). We still thank President Kennedy after all these years for the creation of the National Seashore and those that followed across the country. I wish everyone the best of Holidays and a fulfilling New Year. And, again, thanks to all for the expressions of support.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 22:09:11 +0000
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