Clear the grid backlog and lower Vermont’s power bills

This commentary is by Alex Messinger, co-leader of the Vermont chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

There’s a new bipartisan bill in Congress that will significantly reduce emissions, speed up clean energy and lower energy costs for us here in Vermont. 

The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act is a comprehensive package of permitting reforms that was recently introduced in the Senate. Climate champions Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., were at the forefront of bipartisan negotiations, ensuring the final product advances climate goals and supports clean energy while maintaining important environmental safeguards. 

The Senate is set to take up the bill in November, and I am urging Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., to support it with a “yes” vote. I encourage my fellow Vermonters to do the same.

This bill matters to Vermont residents like me because it will lead to significant emissions reductions, which are necessary to address climate change. The bill contains strong transmission provisions that can help unlock the enormous amount of clean energy waiting to connect to the grid.

And there’s lots of clean energy waiting to come online. Much of the energy capacity stuck in interconnection queues comes from clean energy projects. Several solar developers in Vermont have told me they’ve found it difficult to get clean energy projects connected to the grid. Reforming the process will help America build and connect clean energy much faster while preserving bedrock environmental laws.

More abundant, affordable electricity will help lower energy costs for households and businesses. According to analysis by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, transmission and interconnection reforms like those before Congress would reduce Americans’ residential electricity bills by $19 billion through 2040.

We need these changes in Vermont. Since 2019, average monthly residential bills in the state have risen from $97.25 to $135 in 2026, a 39% increase. One reason for this increase is the need to bolster the electricity grid against stronger storms caused by climate change.

It may be helpful to compare this bill with the cost of doing nothing. Climate impacts are accelerating, and we can’t wait for the next Congress to put forth a better bill. Since the bill requires 60 votes in the Senate to advance, now is our best chance. Passing this bill will speed the clean energy transition, while reducing costs for all of us.

I’m proud that Sanders and Welch have been longstanding advocates for weatherization and energy retrofits, which have helped thousands of Vermonters reduce energy bills while addressing climate change.  

But Congress must go further. It needs to act now by passing the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Clear the grid backlog and lower Vermont’s power bills.