LEARN MORE ABOUT
Andrew Chalnick’s Campaign Priorities
LEARN MORE ABOUT
Andrew Chalnick’s Campaign Priorities
Climate Change
Some ask why South Burlington should do so much when others may be doing less and our share is so relatively small? The answer is that climate change is a problem caused by all of us, and therefore requires everyone to solve. If no one acts unless and until everyone acts, we seal a dystopian future for our children.
Climate Change Science Primer
Climate change science can sometimes seem confusing, but the basics are straightforward: Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, primarily from burning fossil fuels, have increased dramatically since the industrial revolution and this has led to a spike in global temperatures. Temperatures are rising much faster than at any time in the planet’s history with adverse and worsening consequences for ecosystems that support all life. The most current and comprehensive assessment of climate change and its impact on the United States is the Fifth National Climate Assessment, prepared in 2023 for Congress.
Prior to my election in 2023, as Chair and member of the Energy Committee, I was instrumental in the City Council enacting its 2021 Climate Change Resolution and adopting the 2021 Climate Action Plan Task Force Charter. In 2022, as a member of the Climate Task Force, I helped craft and adopt the City’s Climate Action Plan, which lays the foundation for the community to meet the City’s & State of Vermont’s ambitious greenhouse gas reduction and climate targets over the coming years and decades.
On behalf of the Climate Action Task Force, I was a driving force behind South Burlington’s adoption of an ordinance requiring that all new construction use renewable fuels for hot water, and primarily use renewable fuels for heating, presenting to the City Council on 8/8/2022.
As a member of the Energy Committee, I was also a driving force behind the adoption of Solar Ready requirements (presentation here) for new commercial buildings in South Burlington, which requires all new commercial buildings to designate roof space for solar panels (a “Solar-Ready Zone”). In the absence of this requirement, building codes would not require a commercial roof to be constructed to handle the load of solar panels. At the same time, we updated the regulations to require that the rooflines of all new residential buildings be oriented to maximize solar gain potential, to the extent possible, and the street grid be oriented to maximize solar access and gain on abutting building lots and block faces.
During my tenure on the Council, I am thrilled to have continued this tremendous progress. In an important milestone, we adopted a City Plan where “the guiding principle … is to make policy decisions through the lens of climate resilience and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions”.
After successfully lobbying against a State legislative proposal that would have prohibited municipalities from enacting building codes more climate friendly than State-wide codes, and in line with our City Plan, the Council voted in May of 2023 to approve a requirement for all new new commercial buildings, and all new residential buildings that are more than four stories high, to install Solar PV to maximize the use of the Solar-Ready zones that those buildings are required to have.
In November of 2024, the council further voted to require all new residential buildings (from single family to large multi-family) in South Burlington to provide one EV-Ready parking space (if parking is provided) per unit, and to provide for 25% of overflow parking to be EV-Ready. We also voted to require parking in all new commercial buildings to be EV-Ready in varying percentages (50% for hotels, 30% for medical offices, 20% for houses of worship, theaters, schools, retail and sports and 10% for industrial, storage and institutional).
Recently we modified the regulations to make it easier to upgrade electrical panels by allowing above-ground utility lines where poles already exist.
Currently, the City is engaged in a multi-organization effort with Vermont Gas, the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (the CVOEO) and others to ensure that renters and homeowners know about and avail themselves of the free (or low cost) weatherization services provided to all low and moderate income folks.
Municipal goverment is also hard at work decarbonizing. City Hall and the Library run carbon free thanks to the solar array and a geothermal heating system. The City has acquired multiple electric vehicles, including four Hyundai Kona’s and a Ford Lightning pickup truck. There are 6 charging stations open to the public behind 180 Market St. In 2025, the City will install two charging stations at the Fire Department and one charging station in the Airport Parkway WWTP.
The City received a $700,000 award from the EPA to replace conventional heating systems at the Bartlett Bay Wastewater Facility with new heat pumps that capture and reuse heat from our wastewater. Weatherization projects have been performed and are being continued at a variety of facilities including Public Works, Wheeler House, Fire Station Number 2 and Police Station. Each of the City buildings has had energy audits in the last several years. And, of course, the City has a large solar field behind Public Works that produces over 2 MWh per year and which, through net metering, creates savings to the City and the School District of $200,000 per year.
With the tremendous support of our Energy Committee, the City hosted another successful energy festival to educate folks about how to lower their energy bill, electrify their house or ride, install solar panels, move around without a car and more.
Future projects include the installation of a water powered turbine to generate about 20kW of electrical power when the outlet pipe from the Airport Park WWTP is replaced.
We can’t rest on our Laurels. To meet our goals, there is a lot of work ahead. Future policies that I will work hard to enact are:
- Phasing out small gas engines.
- Incentivizing electric bikes.
- Where technology allows and where economically feasible, requiring that “end of life” fossil fuel heating and cooling equipment be replaced with carbon-free heating and cooling equipment.
- Requiring building owners to perform energy audits and implement the recommendations that are cost effective.
- Strengthening our renewable fuels ordinance to require that renewable fuels be used for 100% (rather than just 85%) of heating loads in new construction.
