Utilities tell Natural Resources & Energy committee S.65 risks duplicating roles, raising costs for customers

Officials from Vermont Electric Cooperative and the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority told the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Energy on Feb. 18 that S.65’s proposal to shift certain electrification and demand-management responsibilities from distribution utilities to the state efficiency utility could duplicate effort, raise costs for customers and leave distribution utilities exposed to penalties under the state Renewable Energy Standard.

The committee heard testimony from Antoinette Cohen, who identified herself as a representative of Vermont Electric Cooperative, and from Ken Nolan, general manager of the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (VEPSA). Cohen told the committee: “Who should do this work? … Really important to identify who should be responsible and even as important, if not more so, who should pay for this work.”

The bill before the committee would expand the efficiency utility’s role to include activities described in S.65 as “beneficial electrification, storage and flexible…