Committee reviews H.125 to compile statewide data on gas stations, fuel sellers, EV chargers, rates and renewable developers

Legislative counsel on Feb. 13 presented H.125, a short draft bill that would require the Department of Public Service, in consultation with relevant state agencies, to publish an annual report on the economic impacts of the clean-energy transition in the state.

The draft directs the Department of Public Service to report each Jan. 15 on five items: the number of gas stations operating in the state (and year-over-year changes); the number of heating-fuel sellers (and changes); the number of electric vehicle supply equipment units (the statutory term for charging stations) and changes; electric rates and whether they changed in the prior year; and the number of renewable-energy development companies operating in the state.

Ellen Tyszky, legislative counsel, told the committee most of the data already exist but are held by different agencies. She identified likely sources: the Public Utility Commission (PUC) for electric rates and a registry of heating-fuel sellers, the Department of Taxes for heating-fuel tax filings, the Agency of Transportation for some EV charging information, and the U.S. Department of Energy as an external source for public charging inventories. The secretary of state maintains business registration records that could be queried to estimate the number of renewable-energy developers, Tyszky said.

Committee members debated the bill's scope and purpose. Some members said the draft appears aimed at compiling the state of the clean-energy economy—companies, services and workforce—rather than producing an analytic impact assessment. Several asked whether an analysis component should be added so the report would show whether Vermonters are being left behind as the energy market shifts. One member framed the question this way: "When I think about impacts, I think about Vermonters," and said the data should help identify who is at risk if fuel sellers consolidate or EV infrastructure remains sparse.

Other members questioned whether the work duplicates existing reports and which committee is the correct legislative home. One member said much of the data is already available from state agencies and federal sources and asked whether the committee should ask agencies for the information on an as-needed basis instead of creating a new statutory reporting requirement. Another raised concerns about capturing informal or "side-line" installers (people who do heat-pump work off-hours) and whether those workers would be visible in state business registries.

Committee members suggested additional refinements: define key terms such as "renewable energy development companies," clarify whether private EV chargers should be included, add workforce measures (for example, counts of installers or firms offering weatherization), and consider linking the report to the state's energy-burden analysis. The chair asked staff to invite the Climate Action Office (Jane Lazarczyk was mentioned by name) to a future hearing to discuss how the report might align with existing climate and workforce analyses.

Next steps: the committee scheduled further testimony for the following week, including representatives from agencies and the Climate Action Office, and agreed to continue refining the draft. No formal action was taken on H.125 during the Feb. 13 meeting.