Calendar
Annual Meeting
For a copy of the agenda, please click here: Executive Committee Agenda 9-12-18
1.Introductions.
2. Approval of May 10 and July 12 minutes
3. VTrans Accelerated Bridge Construction Woodstock Village Bridge 51 – Rob Young, VTrans (45 mins)
4. VTrans Royalton/Sharon I-89 bridges 2020 construction recap
5. Other business
• VTrans Transportation Alternatives application (water quality improvement focused projects) – due Oct. 17
• Class 2 Transfer Process and Dates for Towns to VTrans Districts
Future meeting topics? Next meeting on Thursday Nov. 8, 2018 – Bethel Town Hall
For a copy of the agenda, please click here: TRORC Board Meeting Agenda 9-26-18
PRESS RELEASE: Public Forums on a Cost and Benefit Analysis of Policies to
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Vermont.
The Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) has finalized a contract for independent professional assistance to
complete a study of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont, per Act 11 of 2018.
That contract is with Resources for the Future (RFF), an independent, nonprofit research institution
whose mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decision making through
impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF has decades of experience delivering
solutions to cost-effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance a reliable and clean
energy system.
Two public forums are scheduled to gain an understanding of Vermonters’ interests and concerns
regarding policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont. RFF will use the information
from these public forums to help inform their study. The general public is invited to participate in
these two public forums. The Forums are scheduled from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. and details are as
follows:
Wednesday September 26, Room 11,Vermont State House, 115 State Street, Montpelier, VT.
Thursday, September 27, Theater room, Billings Farm, 69 Old River Road, Woodstock, VT.
The Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) has finalized a contract for independent professional assistance to
complete a study of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont, per Act 11 of 2018.
That contract is with Resources for the Future (RFF), an independent, nonprofit research institution
whose mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decision making through
impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF has decades of experience delivering
solutions to cost-effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance a reliable and clean
energy system.
Two public forums are scheduled to gain an understanding of Vermonters’ interests and concerns
regarding policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont. RFF will use the information
from these public forums to help inform their study. The general public is invited to participate in
these two public forums. The Forums are scheduled from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. and details are as
follows:
Wednesday September 26, Room 11,Vermont State House, 115 State Street, Montpelier, VT.
Thursday, September 27, Theater room, Billings Farm, 69 Old River Road, Woodstock, VT.
Please RSVP here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XF98YTJ
RFF will examine 4 decarbonization policy approaches and will provide qualitative analysis for
other options to reduce carbon. Currently, the plan is to investigate the following policy scenarios:
1. Carbon fee-and-rebate, as in H.791 or S.284 (2018) – The ESSEX Plan;
2. Expanding cap-and-trade if Vermont joined the Western Climate Initiative (WCI);
3. Expanding cap-and-trade if the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) covered
transportation fuels as considered in the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI); and
4. A carbon pricing policy based on further research and input from stakeholders.
People attending the forum are asked to address the following questions:
A. What do you think are two or three things that a study of policies to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions in Vermont ought to take into consideration, in order to be helpful in answering
your questions and in advancing the climate and energy policy dialogue in Vermont?
B. Starting by considering the policy approaches listed above, which approaches do you think
RFF ought to focus on?
RFF will be represented by Marc Hafstead and Wesley Look. They will attend both public forums
and will be available to answer questions about the study, as appropriate, during the times outlined
above.
For those unable to attend, please feel free to email comments by September 28, 2018 to
[email protected].
Writing good land use decisions is not easy. This training is for members of Development Review Boards, Planning Commissions, and Boards of Adjustment, as well as Zoning Administrators who also can make these decisions. We will look in depth at all of the basic steps and especially at the parts of a good written decision. There will also be time for questions and answers about any thorny issues you may have run into.
SAVE THE DATE:
“Making It Happen!”
Local Leadership for the Future of Vermont Communities
October 1, 2018 | Castleton University
Join local leaders working to improve life in their communities at the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s VT Community Leadership Summit!
- Skills Workshops for Community Initiatives
- Community Success Story Panels
- Leadership Resource Fair
- Group Dialogues on the “Future of Community Leadership in Vermont”
In democracy, ALL citizens are called upon to lead – where leaders step up, towns achieve great things. Local Citizens Make It Happen!
Registration will open in August. For more information or to sign up for event updates visit https://www.vtrural.org/Summit18 or contact the Vermont Council on Rural Development at [email protected] or 802-223-6091.
TRORC’s Clean Water Advisory Committee (CWAC) will be holding a meeting to discuss the recently released draft of the White River (Basin 9) Tactical Basin Plan. This meeting will follow a presentation by Danielle Owczarski, DEC Basin 9 Watershed Coordinator, who will be presenting on the draft Plan. Topics for the CWAC meeting include comments on the draft Plan, Basin 9 priority projects and the DEC Watershed Projects Database.
6:30 – 8:00 PM: Basin 9 DRAFT Tactical Basin Plan Public Meeting – Presentation by Danielle Owczarski, DEC Basin 9 Watershed Coordinator
(Public Meeting will be closed off at approximately 8PM so that CWAC meeting may convene.)
8:00 – 9:00 PM: CWAC Meeting Agenda Items
• Basin 9 DRAFT Tactical Basin Plan: White River
• Basin 9 Project List
o Prioritization
o Watershed Projects Database
• Recommendation of Basin 9 TBP to be reviewed by TRORC Board
• Other business
October 3rd Randolph, Randolph Town Hall, 7 Summer Street, 6:30-8PM
October 11th Royalton, Royalton Academy Building, 4266 Route 14, 6:30-8PM
The VT Agency of Natural Resources is hosting two public meetings in the Two Rivers – Ottauquechee (TRO) Region to present on the recently released 2018 Draft White River Tactical Basin Plan. The Plan assesses the overall health of the White River basin and outlines actions and strategies being used to address the high-priority stressors of the White River watershed. These meetings will be held in partnership with TRORC, White River Natural Resource Conservation District, White River Partnership, Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission, and the Rutland Regional Planning Commission. All are encouraged to attend to view the presentation and offer comments and suggestions.
For a copy of the agenda, please click here: Executive Committee Agenda 10-10-18