Rep. Sibilia: September 2023 Update

Good morning,

I’ve added additional Office Hours in Jamaica and Stratton through the Fall until the start of the 2024 Legislative Session. Feel free to drop in at any of these and share your concerns, ideas or inspirations!

Office Hours (please note no office hours in November and Stratton hours are tentative pending Selectboard approval 9/25):

Thursday, September 28th 6-7 pm at the Jamaica Town Office
Saturday, October 7th from 9-10 am at the Stratton Town Hall (tentative)
Saturday, October 7th from 11-noon at the Dover Free Library
Thursday October 19th 6-7 pm at the Wardsboro Library
Thursday, October 26th from 6-7 pm at the Jamaica Town Office
Saturday December 2 11-noon at the Dover Free Library
Thursday December 14 6-7 pm at the Jamaica Town Office
Thursday December 21 6-7 pm at the Wardsboro Library

September travels

This past month I traveled to Vermont’s one and only remaining landfill in Coventry and also visited Washington Electric Cooperatives biodigester electric generation plant in Coventry. When the legislature is in session, I spend a fair amount of time working with a policy committee on policies related to electricity and waste disposal. Visiting these sites helps me understand and consider the related state policies.

Jamaica’s Poet Laureate Erica Ludlow Bowman read four of her poems during Jamaica’s 243rd Old Home Day in September. Her poem “Dam” is included here.

Green Mountain Power is in the midst of constructing a massive reliability project throughout our region to move power lines out of the woods and underground where possible. Many thanks to the residents and Selectboards in our district who are supporting this urgent project. I was lucky enough to pull off the road on the right day and find the right person and got an up close look at the piles of poles and wires that are staged for our region. As previously noted in my other updates, many of these projects were delayed for years due to our state land use permitting system. Learning how multiple public entities could hold these projects up indefinitely, while some of my constituents slept in the car to stay warm during extended winter outages, has been the focus of my summer learning. I will be reporting out what I’ve learned and my recommendations in the coming month.

Act 250: What exactly does “rural sprawl” mean?

Act 182 of 2022 and Act 47 of 2023 direct the Natural Resources Board (NRB) with reporting to the House Committees on Environment and Energy and Ways and Means and the Senate Committees on Finance and Natural Resources and Energy on “necessary updates to the Act 250 program,” on or before December 31, 2023.

Leadership of Vermont’s Legislative Rural Caucus sent a letter asking the Act 250 study committee for definition of terms related to rural communities. You can read that letter below.

You can learn more about the Necessary Updates to the Act 250 Program study committee here: Act 250 Study Website

act250steeringrural-1 Download

Department of Public Service in Wilmington

Are you interested in weighing in on where Vermont’s electricity comes from? The Public Service Department is currently reviewing the policies and programs related to renewable electricity to determine what changes are necessary to achieve state energy and climate goals. They’ve teamed up with Vermont’s Regional Planning Commissions to ensure your voice is heard as these critical energy policies are updated. Together, we want to hear from Vermonters about: What are your priorities when thinking about where Vermont’s communities get their electricity? How can our policies and programs better support those goals? Throughout September there will be a series of events throughout the state with opportunities to engage in conversations around these topics. Your input will directly inform recommendations the Department will be making to Vermont’s policymakers in advance of the next legislative sessions.

Listening Session in Wilmington:
(hosted in collaboration with Windham Regional Commission)When: Wednesday, September 27th at 5PM
Where: Wilmington Town Office
2 East Main Street
Wilmington, VT

Curious how your feedback will be used? Check out the Department’s website to learn more about this effort and stay in the loop: https://publicservice.vermont.gov/renewables

Vermont Department of Labor Reminds Vermonters of the September 29, 2023, Disaster Unemployment Assistance Application Deadline

Montpelier, Vt. – The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) reminds Vermonters impacted by the July 2023 flood that the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits application deadline is September 29, 2023, for those living or working in eligible counties.

The Biden Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) declared Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor counties as federal disaster areas. Under this declaration, individuals living, working, or scheduled to work in these counties may be eligible for DUA. This includes independent contractors, those who are self-employed, and agricultural workers.

Individuals seeking assistance through the DUA program must first file for regular unemployment benefits. As part of the application process, claimants should indicate that their employment was impacted by the disaster. The Department of Labor will determine if the claimant is eligible for regular unemployment first, as required by FEMA. If the claimant is deemed ineligible for regular unemployment insurance, the applicant will be provided with the DUA application. Eligible Vermonters can collect benefits for the weeks during which they meet the necessary program criteria. The first payable benefit week has been identified as July 9 – 15, 2023.

Examples of eligible DUA claims may include:

§ The claimant was injured in the disaster and is unable to work, whether they are an employee or self-employed;
§ The claimant’s workplace was damaged, destroyed, or not in operation as a result of the disaster;
§ The claimant’s transportation to work is not available as a direct result of the disaster;
§ The claimant cannot get to their job because they must travel through an impacted area and are unable to do so as a direct result of the disaster;
§ The claimant was about to begin working, but the job no longer exists as a direct result of the disaster;
§ Most of the claimant’s income comes from areas affected by the disaster, whether they work for themselves or an employer, and their business is adversely impacted as a direct result of the disaster.

The deadline for all DUA applications is September 29, 2023. All those who may be eligible are encouraged to apply before the deadline.

Individuals interested in Disaster Unemployment Assistance can find more information online at https://labor.vermont.gov/dua or by calling the UI Claimant Assistance Center at 1-877-214-3330. This page also includes information about language access.

Did flooding impact your heating system or appliances?

Efficiency Vermont’s New $36 Million Incentive Program Aimed at Supporting Flood-Impacted Vermonters! On Sept. 5th, Efficiency Vermont announced an exciting new program for homeowners, renters & businesses to replace home heating equipment & appliances. Coming on the heels of historic flooding this summer, this $36 million program is designed to support low- and moderate-income Vermonters and businesses to replace critical home heating and hot water systems, and essential home appliances, that were damaged or destroyed in the floods. The new programs offer rebates and incentives to eligible customers on qualified products (up to $10,000) purchased on or after July 10, 2023, and support for businesses and contractors. Find out far more and apply or spread the word today!

Did flooding impact your property?

If landowners in your community missed the opportunity to apply for funding to protect infrastructure on their land from future natural disasters, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program (NRCS EWP) sponsor letter deadline has been extended to October 12.

A homeowner needs to have a sponsor, such as the Town, or the Windham County Natural Resources Conservation District (WCNRCD). The sponsor submits assistance request letter to the NRCS. The letter does not obligate the sponsor to any financial commitment, other than promising to supply staff to accompany NRCS personnel when we come out to evaluate these sites. Letters need to be submitted by September 7.

The program has more funding capacity, so we are encouraging qualifying residents to consider working with their towns or the WCNRCD.

If you have specific questions, you can reach out to NRCS employee: Michel Lapointe, EWP Program Manager – michel.lapointe@usda.gov

Funding to support low- and moderate-income Vermont homeowners in repairing or replacing their failed or inadequate on-site water or wastewater systems.

Eligible homeowners may apply for this round of ARPA On-Site funding by October 31, 2023. The application process includes submitting an online pre-qualification application. For help filling out the pre-qualification application, please contact a dedicated assistance specialist at 802-828-0141, 877-344-0354 (toll-free), orANR.HealthyHomes@vermont.gov.

With limited funding, ANR will select approximately 200 priority projects to receive funding based on income, environmental impact, household demographics, and severity of system failure. ANR anticipates issuing awards for priority projects by the spring of 2024. Awardees must complete their projects and spend the funding by September 2026.

To be eligible for funding, applicants must:

Have a failed or inadequate on-site drinking water and/or wastewater system (also known as wells, springs, septic systems or tanks, leach fields, drywells, or cesspools)
Own and live on a residential property with either a single-family home or an owner-occupied, multi-family home with up to four units
Earn a household income of less than $80,835 per year

Community groups cannot directly receive awards but can help homeowners apply or learn about the funding. For those with accessibility needs, ANR has dedicated staff members who can help fill out the pre-qualification application over the phone at no cost.

ANR first announced this funding in 2021, and received an overwhelming response, revealing a true underlying need for lower income Vermonters to access support for basic water and sanitation at their homes. Previous applicants do not need to submit a new application as ANR will automatically consider their first application in future funding rounds.

ANR is in the process of allocating over $10 million to more than 400 Vermont households from the first and second rounds of funding. Over half of these households have a household income of less than $30,000, and nearly 90% of these households have a household income of less than $50,000.

Today! Perhaps we will see you there

As always, if you have suggestions, concerns or critiques please be in touch so we can schedule time to discuss. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need assistance navigating government services at (802) 384-0233 or lsibilia@leg.state.vt.us. Follow my regular posts online at http://www.laurasibiliavt.com

It is an honor to represent our district in the legislature. Thank you!

Rep. Laura Sibilia – Dover, Jamaica, Somerset, Stratton, Wardsboro