Burlington Mayoral Campaign Countdown: Climate policy

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Town Meeting Day is just two weeks away and Burlington voters are poised to possibly elect the first woman mayor in the city’s history. Reporter Katharine Huntley spoke with the two major party candidates — Democrat Joan Shannon and Progressive Emma Mulvaney-Stanak — about what their climate policies would look like if they win the Queen City’s top job.

Burlington continues towards an ambitious goal of net zero energy by 2030. Progressive candidate for mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak says the city should take a closer look at emissions produced in the Queen City to shape future policy.

“I think we need to push more in terms of really looking at the climate emergency in its full, in its entirety, and that includes looking at greenhouse emission rates and understanding what goes into those greenhouse emission rates and not just on getting off of fossil fuels, which is the primary focus of what Burlington’s climate plan has been so far,” Mulvaney-Stanak said.

She says recent emissions data shows Burlington is going in the wrong direction. One idea to change course, she says is taking a closer look at Burlington Electric’s wood-fired McNeil Generating Station and determining whether biomass-produced energy is indeed sustainable. “We can’t do that overnight, so I want to start the planning process, though that moves us in that direction, so we are continuing to push and innovate and not lose the urgency of what climate change is really calling us to do right now. It is absolutely an emergency,” Mulvaney-Stanak said

Shannon says climate concerns are real in Burlington but believes the city can’t can’t solve the problem on its own. “No matter what Burlington does, if it’s only Burlington, it’s really not going to make a difference to climate,” she said.

Shannon says she supports the city’s net-zero goal as a model for other communities. but she also believes the city should balance its regulations to ensure policies don’t push businesses away. “We create a sustainable and economically prosperous community here and make progress on our climate goals, then other communities can replicate that and that’s how we make an impact,” she said.

Shannon says Burlington already sets a high bar when it comes to places climate-friendly workplaces including the UVM Medical Center, and that the focus should be on retaining them. “They’ve been a good partner in that and we need to assure that that we don’t hold the bar so high that they can’t grow here in Burlington,” she said.