Advocacy

Witho ut a doubt, the Vermont Gas pipeline project has stirred up plenty of controversy. There’s environmental impact challenges, troubling property rights issues and even the fracking debate, but little has been said about who is paying the freight on this monumental undertaking. Current ratepayers! Over the next 35 years, ratepayers will have to pony up over $270 million in additional rates to pay for what is now at least a $153 million endeavor. All of this is justified by a claim that the overall public good is being served. That rationale is questionable at best.

Nearly 700 residents of Orleans County, including over 300 from Newport, responded to a citywide survey of livability needs and issues spotlighting a number of key findings as the city works towards becoming more “age friendly”. The findings will help inform the work of the Newport Age Friendly Advisory Council as they formulate recommendations and develop an action plan moving forward. The areas of focus in the survey centered on the following:

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Please help AARP improve access to voting for people of all ages. We need your voice! Please contact your Senator (800-322-5616) and ask him or her to vote for the Same-Day Voter Registration legislation (S.29) so that eligible voters can register to vote on Election Day.

Mr. Johnson, a former farmer, is not allowed outside for walks. You hear rumors that there is not enough staff at your local nursing home. Would you like to have a positive impact on situations like these, but don't know how?

"On behalf of our members and all existing ratepayers in Chittenden and Franklin counties, AARP is pleased to learn that Vermont Gas Systems (VGS) has made the decision to drop its plans for Phase 2 of the gas pipeline project. The determination by VGS and International Paper (IP) that the project is not economically viable is a prudent one. However, it will have a direct impact on the cost of Phase 1 – a cost being paid for by current VGS customers. With Phase 1 costs already estimated to nearly double, this new development makes it even more difficult to prove that the greater good is being served by a project that will bring service to only 3,000 Addison County customers. According to VGS testimony, the rate increase for customers in Chittenden and Franklin counties will now go up at least 10% due to the elimination of Phase 2. This will represent the third substantial cost increase on a project that is just barely underway.

Today AARP applauds the quick, bipartisan action on S. 192, the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA), introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) with Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Patty Murray (D-WA), and also cosponsored by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), John Isaakson (R-GA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

Scam Alert: Tax ID Theft & Fraud

“Today we learned of yet another significant cost overrun on the Vermont Gas Systems Phase 1 pipeline project to the tune of $33 million. This comes on top of a $35 million increase announced this summer. AARP Vermont is calling on Vermont’s Dept. of Public Service and the Public Service Board to give close scrutiny to today’s announcement since it is current ratepayers in Chittenden and Franklin Counties that will be footing the bill. The public deserves to know what the additional costs are, how they are being justified, and if the project is still viable given that the projected cost has now gone from $86 million to $154 million in just a matter of months. The Department should also ask the utility to provide reliable and well documented projections on what the final costs will actually be, in order to make an informed recommendation to the Public Service Board on reopening the certificate of public good process. Current ratepayers – especially seniors – should not be expected to absorb ever rising costs for a multi-million project that will provide them no real benefit. Consumers need to be protected and if this overrun goes through it is a glaring example of how broken our regulatory system has become.”

It's time to put down the cell phone....at least when you're behind the wheel. On October 1 st a new handheld device law goes into effect impacting all drivers on Vermont roads. It is already illegal for any driver to text while driving or to use a portable electronic or computing device in a work zone, and for drivers under age 18 to use a handheld device anywhere. But on October 1, that ban will be extended to all drivers everywhere in Vermont. Here’s what you need to know: