WILLISTON, Vt. (WCAX) – More projects related to the transmission of clean energy could be on the horizon and Senator Peter Welch is hoping to help pave the way.
Welch visited the Catamount Outdoor Family Center on Thursday to announce the introduction of his Energizing our Communities Act. Its goal is to build trust between local governments and transmission developers to sustainably increase electrical capacity, which he says is which is crucial to a national clean energy transition.
“Climate change — we had a big debate for years. Was it real? We all know it is real. Now, the challenge is how do you make the transition from a carbon economy to a clean economy. But one of the practical things that has to be done is to build transmission lines to transmit from where it is produced to where it is needed,” Welch said.
The Catamount Center is among Nordic ski centers around the region that are vulnerable to the changing climate. Officials say they only had one day of skiing this past winter because of poor snow conditions.
Interest funds created through federal programs would be sent to municipalities, nonprofits, and community spaces to create transmission projects to better serve those communities.