Mountain Times - Vol. 49, No. 53 - Dec. 30, 2020 - Jan 2, 2021

The Mountain Times • Dec. 30, 2020 - Jan. 5, 2021 STATE NEWS • 13
Strong winds forecasted for
Thursday evening into Friday
Green Mountain Power (GMP) has alerted customers to be alert to the forecast, as
meteorologist predict a region-wide storm system bringing the possibility of strong
winds that could take down trees and power lines, along with one to two inches of
rain (possibly snow in the higher elevations) and the potential for localized flooding
Thursday into Friday.
GMP continues to track the storm closely and is urging customers to be safe.
“We want customers to be aware of possibility of outages and heavy rain this storm
may bring. We follow multiple forecasts to be ready to respond as quickly and safely as
possible. If winds are strong enough to take down trees and lines, it is so important for
customers to stay far away from power lines, and always assume a downed line is still
energized and a danger – call us,” said Mike Burke, chief of field operations at GMP.
On a statewide planning call for utilities and state agencies, meteorologist Roger
Hill, who specifically forecasts for potential weather impacts to utility infrastructure,
said winds could slowly ramp up Thursday evening with the strongest gusts above 50
miles per hour possible overnight.
“Right now, the models show high elevations and along the western slopes of the
Green Mountains are where those winds will be strongest,” Hill said.
In preparation for any storm, GMP is recommending Vermonters have on hand a
fully charged cell phone, bottled water, battery-powered flashlights, emergency phone
numbers, and a plan of where to go if you were to need to leave your home. You can
find more storm safety tips at greenmountainpower.com. You can report outages by
calling 888-835-4672, through GMP’s online Outage Center, and through GMP’s app.
Report: 100% electrification could save
Vermont households an average of $3,603/
year & create 22,792 jobs
A new analysis by Rewiring America
shows that transitioning to 100% clean
energy through electrification would
save Vermont as much as
$973 million in energy costs
each year while dramatically
reducing economy-wide
greenhouse gas emissions.
The Rewiring America Report,
“No Place Like Home:
Vermont. Saving money
and creating jobs by electrifying
America’s households,”
by Dr. Saul Griffith
and Dr. Sam Calisch, finds
that savings would mean up to $3,603
per year in savings to each Vermont
household’s energy bills.
The report builds on an earlier analysis
by Rewiring America that shows that
clean energy electrification could create
25 million new jobs and save Americans
$321 billion in total. Every zip code in the
state would see employment gains and
it would create a total of 22,792 jobs in
Vermont.
Today, the average Vermont household
spends approximately $5,759 per
year on heating and cooling the home,
generating hot water, and driving cars.
Transitioning away from fossil fuels and
electrifying the Vermont economy –
replacing old fossil fuel-based machines
with electric versions at every opportunity,
and switching electricity generation
from dirty sources such as coal to
clean ones such as rooftop solar – would
provide significant savings to every
Vermonter.
“As Vermonters continue to struggle to
make ends meet, this analysis provides
an exciting and desperately needed
roadmap for a brighter future,” said
Adam Zurofsky, executive director of
Every zip
code in
the state
would see
employment
gains.
Rewiring America. “If we do it right, electrifying
the Vermont household presents
a unique opportunity to create jobs,
save families money, and
dramatically slash harmful
emissions in the process.”
The report from Rewiring
America analyzes what upgrades
would cost households
in each state and
under what circumstances
folks could expect to save
money.
Key findings of the report:
• Vermonters as a whole
would annually save $973 million.
• The benefits laid out in the report
are strictly economic, independent
of additional benefits electrification
would bring in terms of health,
climate, reduced maintenance costs,
and more consistent performance.
• Massive industrial growth will
be necessary to meet increased
demand for electric machines and
bring about lower costs over the
longer term.
• New jobs would be created in every
zip code in Vermont.
Rewiring America is a coalition of
engineers, entrepreneurs, and volunteers
focused on rejuvenating the economy and
addressing climate change by electrifying
everything. It’s a relatively new nonprofit
“dedicated to demonstrating that solving climate
change is both technically possible and
economically beneficial,” according to the
company’s statement. The reports produced
by Rewiring America transparently include
the data they used to reach their conclusions
as well as provide high-level analysis of the
U.S. energy economy. To read the full report
and it’s background data visit rewiringamerica.org.
Attorney General Donovan joins
lawsuit seeking to end Google’s
illegal search monopoly
Solid Waste Transfer Station
Location: 2981 River Road (Behind Town Garage)
Phone Number: (802) 422-4499
SAT.& MON. (8 a.m.- 4 p.m.); SUN. (8 a.m.-noon)
Collection & transfer of solid waste deposited by residents and property owners of
the Town. (Windshield sticker & punch card needed) Recycling Center for residents
and property owners of the Town. (Free with windshield sticker) If you need to
dispose of solid waste outside the normal operating hours of the Transfer Station
or have construction & demolition debris or other non-acceptable waste, residents
and property owners of Killington can go to the Rutland County Solid Waste District
Transfer Station & Drop-off Center located on Gleason Road in Rutland.
Winter hours began November 1, 2020.
Attorney General T.J. Donovan joined
a bipartisan coalition of 37 attorneys
general in suing Google for anticompetitive
conduct in violation of Section 2 of
the Sherman Act on Dec. 17. The coalition
alleges that Google illegally maintains
its monopoly power over general
search engines and related advertising
markets through a series of anticompetitive
exclusionary contracts and
conduct. As a result, Google has deprived
consumers of competition that could
lead to greater choice, innovation, and
better privacy protections. Furthermore,
Google has exploited its market position
to accumulate and leverage data to the
detriment of consumers.
“Google has become a company
that Vermonters know and rely on,
but their anticompetitive conduct
has denied consumers the benefits of
healthy marketplace competition,” said
Attorney General Donovan. “It is time
for the legal system to take a look at
Google’s marketplace dominance and
illegal conduct to restore a competitive
marketplace.”
The coalition’s complaint is consistent
with the lawsuit filed by the U.S.
Dept. of Justice in October 2020, which
alleged that Google improperly maintains
its monopoly power in general
search and search advertising through
the use of exclusionary agreements.
The coalition’s filing, however, asserts
additional allegations and describes
Google’s monopoly maintenance
scheme as a multi-part effort. The lawsuit
alleges that Google:
• Uses exclusionary agreements and
other practices to limit the ability of rival
general search engines and potential
rivals to reach consumers. This conduct
cements Google as the go-to search engine
on computers and mobile devices.
• Disadvantages users of its searchadvertising
management tool, SA360,
by promising that Google would not
favor its search advertising over that
of competing search engines such as
Bing. Instead, Google continuously
favors advertising on its own platform,
inflating its profits to the detriment of
advertisers and consumers.
• Discriminates against specialized
search sites – such as those that provide
travel, home repair, or entertainment
services – by depriving them access to
prime real estate because these competing
sites threaten Google’s revenue
and dominant position.
The coalition argues that more
competition in the general search
engine market would benefit consumers
– for example, through improved
privacy protections and more targeted
results for consumers. Competitive
general search engines also could offer
better quality advertising and lower
prices to advertisers. The coalition also
explains how Google’s acquisition and
command of vast amounts of data –
obtained in increasing part because of
consumers’ lack of choice – has fortified
Google’s monopoly and created significant
barriers for potential competitors
and innovators.
The attorneys general are asking the
court to halt Google’s illegal conduct
and restore a competitive marketplace.
The states also seek to unwind any advantages
that Google gained as a result
of its anticompetitive conduct, including
divestiture of assets as appropriate.
Finally, the court is asked to provide any
additional relief it determines appropriate,
as well as reasonable fees and
costs to the states.