Stop the Pipeline

Thanks to our interconnected web of like minded people,

I received this letter and a link to Tell Governor Peter Shumlin to Stop the pipeline plans...

I signed it, will you? meg

The letter sent to the Governor last week signed by businesses, organizations, committees, and legislators requesting that the pipeline be stopped at 11 miles is now available for anyone to sign online. Important note: Businesses etc can still sign on this form, and we encourage you to do that if you can. If not, please sign as an individual. (Instructions are on the page.) Here is the link:

https://pin.salsalabs.com/o/502/c/72/p/dia/action3/common/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=14054

Please send the link to all of your lists, groups, friends and urge them to show the Governor the breadth and depth of our desire to put this pipeline behind us!

Thank you Shaina and Katelyn at Toxics Action Center for setting up this link!

And thank you everyone for your ongoing energy to do the right thing in Vermont!

A letter I found to myself

I found a letter to myself,

or I suppose to anyone who might stumble onto it.

It is dated in the future,

how strange I did that.

guess I did it that way so I could cool off.

Oh I am cool, alright.

here it is,

more perhaps to follow...

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

To Whom it May Concern,

Regarding Property Taxes on a 48+10 acre property with homestead

located in Monkton, Vermont, 

where family settlers relocated to

over a hundred years ago.

In 2009, the Town of Monkton attempted to sell a tax lien on our property.

This would have made someone else own our property.

Our property taxes were less than one year late

In the greatest depression we have suffered.

We ended up having to pay 12 thousand dollars that year plus ads, legal costs and penalties and interest. Oh yes, and humiliation and shame at so many people knowing or thinking they know our business.

I am a woman landowner. The Town of Monkton never notified me.

They thought my husband, whose Dad just died should tell me the bad news.

I have been verbally attacked in the town hall by a town official.

No one believes or cares.

When I raised questions of how they selected our property 

they themselves said only certain ones were selected 

but that is because they decided that.

When I asked for how they contacted me they said they didn’t have to.

They all voted together except one, abstention. Not one person in eleven felt I should have been notified. Not one person in eleven thought 

There was anything wrong with trying to sell our property in less than a year property tax delinquent. Even though that may have caused our bank to foreclose. And take more away.

I cannot waste any more of my finite life fighting these people.

The next victim I pray, will be a stronger soul, not battling MS, not afraid to death of courtrooms.

The next victim, I pray will enter the town office will say, “I am proud to be a flatlander! I was born in a city! I was a Tiger in high school, a champion of the debate team! Aggressive pushy lawyer, your worst nightmare to avenge Mary!”

archives of monkton chronicles 2014

Monkton Chronicles,

End of June 2014

I know, I know,

sometimes we chroniclers write just because we have a deadline.

In this case, an imaginary deadline, for an imaginary newspaper with one writer, one town, and no dough. I mean the green dough, gluten free: greenbacks, Benjamin Franklins, Buckazoids, cashola, currency. The newspapers that print on dead or murdered trees get paid by advertisers, an obvious fact to me but sadly not to many others. The newspapers may slant or lean news towards their advertisers. Still we are all subject to the veiled messages, the subliminal suggestions, the pressures of society, our bigger dysfunctional family. Well, it is both functional And dysfunctional. Yin and Yang....

Had wanted to write more often and decided I would write what I can, what comes up, what and when it seems relevant to me. This is my travelogue, where typos are sometimes left, grammar is freestyle turn of the second millennial midwestern to vermont transplant, and i struggle with daily pain, fatigue and the frustrations of paperwork, frustrations, bureaucratic crapola that comes with disability. it was so easy when i did it for someone else. have a good rest of summer...so far cold one in monkton, vermont. we are at a crossroads in our fight to stop the proposed canadian->NY pipeline someone thought worth taking people's hard won property for. not too late to jump into the fray. Q: how do you argue with a corps of engineers? A: don't bother, you will just waste your breath

Q: how do you argue with a corps of engineers? A: you'll never go anywhere, fool, you were not listening to me....

there...june 2014 in a nutshell

meg

End of May 2014

Struggling against the tide of paperwork to claim I am disabled when all I can do is the essential paperwork du jour dictating to me what do I need to do today? Working out the system in my head, as I sit and ponder this bureaucratic daytime nightmare, I am reminded of that blank stare as I would ask clients, did you fill out the form? I am reminded of the impressive stacks of befuddling papers, notices, warnings, messages that suck your energy. Do the dishes? Sorry, not today. Been stuck in an energy suck all day. It's likes a tornado only it sucks, it doesn't blow. Pipeline battle all radical now. Or so the pay media would have you think. Such uncivil tone! screams the editor of the Addy Indy, the local feel good rag for the college people to see the Idyllic county their kids live, study in and become the future senators, stock brokers, CEO's, Inheritors, Trustees, Skiers, Artists, Authors, Thinkers, Beautiful people.

I can write run on sentences. This is my blog and I can Whinge if I want to ;<{

It does a body good to spill one's guts. If you don't want to read this, please press the "X" at the top right corner of the screen.

I wasn't even sure if I could write an update for the end of May 2014. I felt like we got robbed of usable sunshine. Sunny days were too cold and windy out, then rainy and cloudy. Nights still 40's-chilly. Fred looking for wood pellets to burn.

Meanwhile nothing can rob me of the healing memories of being at Levon Helm's barn last Saturday night. Fred took care of me, pampering me all week so I could have the energy to attend the bar b que and concert...I made it. Even as I stood longer than I have in 6 months, I felt Levon's presence, I felt the Catskill stone under my feet, like it was under his feet, grounding him, like a magnet holding his feet to the ground, like it was holding me. I decided to resist posting any anti pipeline stuff until June 1st. I decided in honor of Levon and all those who played with him, and family, friends, fans, I would only focus on music this week. Music, that vibration, that mathematical vibration that gives us pleasure, takes us to times in our lives. Like the first time I was in the Catskills, Judy and I were in her plymouth Fury, visiting her friends. In the tape deck played Stage Fright, The Great Divide....Many of the songs played by The Weight last Saturday night....Google took us careening over a mountain trail to get from Tannersville where we were staying to levon's. I have some photos-working on sorting those into a movie. We had some adventures for sure. I decided not to spoil my week of music posting for those fracking bullies. But when I post an update...there will be a lot I have stored from taking a week off. We love Levon and his people...Have never had a more lovely night than a night at the Midnight Ramble...Levon's Healing barn of wood.

meg

Early to Mid May 2014

Updates, Tragedy & Ecstasy. Feeling so behined on reporting. In my mind, being an official world gateway to Monkton, VT, or at least trying to tell the world what is going on here.

Emerging from a crab like crustacean state induced by a hellacious winter past, bone crushing fatigue of MS et al and overwhelmed at the f'ing mountains de Paperwork I have had to process, Fred pulling up the slack. Me still in denial from time to time that I am disabled alternating with panic that I am done fer. Looking for a happy medium.

Oh the local government is posting minutes albeit still with the nebulous language, still local government people want a pipeline to go through wetlands, now want trails in wetlands and said no to digging rocks. The town sues some people, says yes to some, no to others, takes and or tries to take peoples' property using unconstitutional methods. We were near victims after 9 months late paying taxes. Now puzzled the State is raising property taxes and yet has no input into tax sales. God help us all. We cannot afford this anymore. Looking for the sunshine in the shadows....Music, Art, Beauty of spring slowly emerging. Fresh air, sunshine on my face. Breathe...more later.

Mid April 2014

After tax day, the images in my drawings had chains, hasps, locks, a woman petting a rat in prison. We paid $500. How is it that I have not earned a penny in months and have paid, paid taxes, robbing savings. We are run down from a bastardly winter, finally getting a few doses of life giving sunshine, warmth cannot be far behind...So the problem with taxes is that there is a breaking point with the little people. I hope we are near. Prices in the stores are hurtful to all. Money just not going as far. Beyond that, everything is wonderful in the land of maple sap. We are on the healing side of winter, the air smells better. Finally I got out the record player Fred got me for my birthday. Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Glenn Miller the first to spin...sounds better than the old days...what was it?

Early April 2014

The sun is encouraging me, coaxing me to the window,

higher in the sky and brighter. Watching for the solar flares, a big one was followed by the earthquake in Chile, also a breakthrough in the weather, warming up a little after enduring a downright brutally cold this past winter. It was nice to see the maple trees tapped, the snow melting, the ice going out. The taxes finally done, a bitter tedious pile of papers which seem to have no real relevance. Except write another check.

We are still fighting the pipeline and I can only pay attention certain days of the week. Otherwise I would not be able to survive. Fred got me the Beth Hart/Joe Bonamassa live from Amsterdam which is Incredibly Great! Wow... Also a record player which I will get out of the box. No I am not 18 anymore or I would have done all this already. In my good time. Decided I would listen to my best of Janis Joplin first. Been awhile since I have had a record player...

All for now.

Early March 2014

In spite of my personal inability most days to even get out of the house, the collective voters spoke loudly, clearly, against the proposed Gaz Pipeline. Time is a great moderator. The Gaz people trying to cram the pipeline down people's throats. "Threatening elders, women landowners with using eminent domain". Our elders, having better sense than the selectboard, stuck up for their property rights. We do have those in Monkton, Vermont, USA.

I will post some more links but frankly am fracking weary and ptsd from all the press you have to push to get anyone to notice.

On the home front, burning wood, pellets, furniture is next.

The daylight is welcome when it shows up.

It has been bitter cold. Like the first winter I was here.

Only not as much snow down here in the Champlain valley.

Jupiter was profoundly beautiful one morning at 4:30 when I couldn't sleep. She sparkled. It was 10 below f. and dead calm.

Hope you are having a good March. For us in like a lion. I posted a crappy YT link of I found the lions. Tech is a pain sometimes..will find the one I was looking for....meg

Mid February 2014

Hard to keep up with just living, let alone come up with profound messages all the time. Sometimes, drifting off to sleep, I desperately slap up some random pics or words that drift onto the keyboard. I have to admit I schedule certain posts. It might be equivalent to lip-Syncing, but for me it is a tool. We are fighting the pipeline from Alberta to NY via Vermont and our neighbors' garden. Our tools are words.

Been very cold here and we got a good bit of snow. Hopefully warming a little and sun higher in the sky. Keep warm!

Late January 2014

Been trying to keep up. The temperature keeps going down, stressing us all so by this time of the winter, precious little is left in reserve.

I wrote this once and it got hopelessly bound in blogger limbo, mismatched versions of software, ancient 3 year old computer and possibly it just was not meant to be.

We are overwhelmed at the prices of fuel, food, goods. We know there are plenty of us boomers transiting into mid-late middle ages. Like a renaissance, we must be willing to be the system we think must wrap around us. More on this later.

We are stretched thin, worn down, overloaded. We are weary at the fracking gaz fights. Some positive moves, some steps backwards. Making one thing crytal clear to me. Somebody is getting paid to grease these skids...well i am no columbo, but often the perpetrator is right under your nose.

Mid January 2014

We are in the middle of a January thaw, in the 40's, raining, deceptively imitating a spring thaw. We know we could go straight back down to 20 below again in a heartbeat. That is the North country. Am somewhat relieved to have 2013 behind us, even though there is nothing specific, except that cursed number 13. In my study of the Knights Templar, 13 could be traced back to a date when Knights were eliminated by slaughter. Burning at the stake sounds particularly torturous. Trying to keep up with the so called news and then I read some Aristotle. Some things seem to never change. Saw a photo of a recreated neanderthal man. Ponderous, would be the caption.

The pipeline fight is forging on. Now with Neil Young on the other end up in Alberta...I am reminded every day of the limitations that MS places on my life. Wondering how these fights all seem to mirror one another. Reminded of the

Line of the minuteman, April 19, 1775.

Stand your Ground

Don't fire unless Fired upon

But if they mean to have a War,

Let it begin here.

Captain Parker.


archives:



Late December, 2013



Nearing the end of year 2013.



Christmas, or whatever you call the short days...



Is over.



Thankfully the daylight hours gaining again for those of us inhabiting the Northern hemisphere of the planet.



We lost a good friend Lisa, who warmed my heart with her special soul. She adopted a cat from us who is now called Girly Girl. Girly's first name was Whitney. Lisa wanted a kitten. These were our Y 2K Kitten boom litter explosion where we contacted Green Mountain Animal defenders and they helped us trap, neuter and adopt over 20 cats/kittens. I thought for sure Captain would be Lisa's type. He was friendly and jovial. Well...it did not work. Captain freaked out and would not go near Lisa. So we settled on sweet little petite Whitney. Lisa adopted her, named her Meredian, and took care of her for many years. (Captain was furious, as it turned out, she was his kitten and I do not think he ever forgave us for giving away his sister). Recently Lisa asked if I could bring her back to our pride. Absolutely, of course. And we met one night and I took Meredian home and named her again, Girly Girl, aka Missy. No longer Whitney, Her Meredian chapter done. She was reborn again. Captain had died not long before this so he just missed her homecoming. I still think he sent for her.



So the day I heard Lisa left the material plane, Girly and I sat together a lot. I was relieved Lisa sent her back to be with us, where she knew the scents, the lay of the land, and us.



Now I am home more, I see the value in having a Girl cat boss me, tell me to get up, feed her, keep up my routine. She even likes to tweet with me. Thanks, Lisa, The best social worker, hippest, nicest, animal lover, sensitive, cool hipster. So cute, sweet, with that dark sense of humor only possible by where you have been. Your fears? I never saw any, we all have them. I hope yours were kept to a minimum. Did I intend to write this update about Lisa? Well, not really. Now that I have, however, it seems appropriate to ask you, wherever you are on the planet or off the planet, to raise a glass for Lisa today. It is the thought that counts, send a message for her to carry on with her extraordinary love light, and tell her Girly & I send our love, meg 12.30.13



Archives:







Early December 2013







Feeling the cold go through our house some days. Fuel untouchable anymore. Sick about the taxes we shelled out over 6K and the roof leaks, house is old as ever, land lays fallow like my muscles and nerves. I have become a non profit with no 501k. Feel sorry for others worse off than we are.







Fighting the Pipeline, Fracking, MS, Deja Vu.







Our bodies regenerate every 7 years. By my math I am due for a snakeskin shedding...soon to turn 56. Some numbers surprise you when you break them down. My inactivity stimulates my thoughts. How nerve damage, even in that quieter RRMS, causes a scenario where you must think harder, to get around the scarred places, to circumvent the damaged battlegrounds of my immune system against my own neuro system. Calling it...around the mulberry bush...that fairy tale about girls in prison...weird really...this is the way we wash our hair, wash our hair...My odd imagination imagining girls in jail, being smacked around, brain injured, now compliant, spirits broken...this is the way we wash the floors...







So I was making a connection with the fairy tale, another silly way to address a serious injustice. I love fairy tales. Working on a drawing of this one. meg 12.6.13























Archives...still relevant as long as we fight the pipeline extension into Addison county...today I compressed them into a file called monkton chronicle archives

Ponderings on Monkton,Vermont, The Monkton Chronicles

Pondering this proposed gaz pipeline
Because my gut says urgency,
I stumbled onto this nice bit of town history.
It was on rootsweb.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vermont/AddisonMonkton.html

Suddenly my next post is solved,
My curiosity raised,
My afternoon consumed.

As I read this, reminded of my poem about Haystacks,
About the first woman settler of Monkton,Vermont.

http://traveloguefortheuniverse.blogspot.com/2010/04/haystacks.html


Also reminded we are being invaded by a different country,
A fractional tribe of thieves.
Cloaked in false promises, unrevealed horrors,
Undislosed plans.

One Thing...Monkton Chronicles

One Thing...

 

If there is one thing that I can say,

We spoke up, I spoke up, did what I can,

a small speck of a person,

fighting against a senseless pipeline.

blew my mind when looking at our town website,

 

monktonvt.com

 

and saw VT gaz posted an unsigned mou there.

what gives?

Am too tired officially to fight this.

 

Let me post what neighbor,

Jennifer wrote and hope

if you are so inclined,

no matter where you are in the world,

you can comment on this fracking insanity.

We say no to the pipeline in Monkton, Vermont,

Will you join us?

 

reprinted letter from Jennifer, dutiful servant to the rigorous fight against fracking pipelines.

 

The Agency of Natural Resources is holding a public hearing on the wetlands permit application for the Addison Natural Gas Project on Wed. Dec. 18, 2013 at 6 pm at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg, room 160. This is a hearing to receive public input on the impact of the pipeline on wetlands (and also natural areas, and rare, threatened or endangered species of plants or animals). Of particular interest to ANR is any information that local residents, especially landowners along the route, can provide on this topic that may have been missed by either Vermont Gas’s natural resource assessments, or by ANR’s review. In the first petition filing last December, VGS managed to miss the entire salamander crossing project, so who knows what else they might be overlooking?

ANR has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with VGS. If you are wondering if this sequence is out of order, that is, having the hearing after signing the MOU, well, you’re not the only one. The MOU can be seen here, and can also be the subject for public comments:

http://monktonvt.com/documents/2013/12/mou-between-anr-and-vgs.pdf

The hearing notification is here:

http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/waterq/wetlands/docs/Determinations/2012-184_PublicNotice.pdf

The entire permit application is here (there is a lot of info):

http://www.watershedmanagement.vt.gov/cfm/notices/info.cfm?id=3231

 

Thanks Jennifer...

 

 

 

 

Monkton Chronicle Archives

Monkton Chronicles Archives from the sidebar.

Eventually I have to clean out the Monkton Chronicles...
Archived for the record.

Archives...still relevant as long as we fight the pipeline extension into Addison county...

Late November 2013.



The cold came in with successive blasts chilling to the bone.



Ison Headed into the Sun and still waiting for the upshot of that comet. Fun it coincided with Thanksgiving plus Chanuka all on the same day.



The turkey & trimmings are in the oven, cats lazy, giving thanks for warmth, food, Pets, Friends & Family. Now if you have no interest in natural gas, oil drilling or geology, stop reading now...



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



Been meaning to peruse these articles regarding natural gas, oil drilling in the Champlain Valley, seriously...1960 ish...



http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/pdfdocs/Oil%20and%20Gas%20in%20VT.pdf



and



http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/pdfdocs/VT%20and%20Quebec%20Potential%20QOGA3.pdf


Guest editorial from the front porch forum,

My neighbor:



Gas Metropoly?

Jane Palmer – Rotax Rd

Lately I feel I am living a Vermont version of the game, Monopoly. Instead of the four railroads, there are four utilities; Green Mountain Power, CVPS, VELCO, and Vermont Gas. Replacing Monopoly's two utility squares are “Green Energy” squares, where if you land, you pay a fee that is invested in alternative energy. These squares make you feel like you are doing something to help combat climate change. Actually, the money you invest goes to the utilities who sell Renewable Energy Credits to other states still burning fossil fuels. Indirectly, your fee on the “Green Energy” squares in turned to profit for the utilities. The “Free Parking” space is a “Free Hunting and Fishing” space. (about as common as free parking in Burlington or Montpelier.) The rest of the squares are much the same as in the original Monopoly game, only with more “Vermonty” names like Hardscrabble Road, Smuggler's Notch, Pleasant Valley, The McCullough Turnpike etc.

In this game, instead of playing with siblings or friends, I am being be forced to play with several large corporations that own most of the properties on the board at the start of the game. One Canadian corporation, Gaz Metro, owns all of the utilities as well as a few other key properties. (This is the equivalent of one player owning all four of the Railroads on the original game.)

On my first turn, I draw a card from the “Community Chest” that says, “Gas pipeline coming through your town, pay thousands of dollars in legal and professional fees.” Next turn I draw another one that says “Lost wages due to fighting the pipeline”. All the while, the other non-corporate players and I keep landing on the squares that Gaz Metro owns. Gaz Metro smiles as he takes our money. He tells us all not to feel bad, that it's all for the “public good” He will use our money to build new infrastructure...new infrastructure that will require all players give him more money when we land on his squares. “Not to worry,” he says...”This money will go toward investments in 'clean' energy.” The “clean” energy he is referring to however, is a fossil fuel that is extracted by extreme methods that pollute the earth.

In the “Chance” cards, there are several cards that say. “Pipeline sited across your property, collect $5” which may sound like good thing, because, after all, this is a game and you won't really have to host a pipeline, right? But then you read the fine print and it says your most valuable property would be immediately and severely devalued. (Think Park Place and Boardwalk suddenly worth less than Baltic and Mediterranean Ave.) Several cards say things like, “Path of pipeline cuts across your sugarbush, orchard, or newly planted berry bush field, you get $5, but lose all future potential income”. I draw another card that says, “Property taxes due. Pay $1000 on land you can no longer use.” And another one, “Fight with town to lower property taxes on easement-encumbered land. You lose. Pay $100.”

There are also cards that say things like “Take a hike up Snake Mountain, enjoy the view” or “On a clear night, stare at the stars” and “Go fishing on Lake Champlain” But no money comes with those cards. You still only get the $200 for passing go and the rents on the measly properties you have left. It's not enough to live on. I watch as my cash dwindles....I draw another card from the Community Chest and it says, “The Public Service Board grants Certificate of Public Good to owner of utilities.” This is the ultimate death card to any player that does not own all the utilities but to Gaz Metro it means that it can grab any property that it desires by using eminent domain. Our government will even assist in the condemnation. Give up your hopes of hanging on to the land you need or value. Say goodbye to the prospect of curtailing climate change. The future is grim.

If this were really a game, it would suck and no normal person would want to play it. But what I describe is pretty close to what we are experiencing. The players are not who we want to play with (in fact, we never agreed to play this game in the first place) and the rules are stacked against us. The outcome is obvious from the start and the only way you could possibly win is if you draw a “You buy a Tri-States Megabucks card and it's a winner, collect $2 million” card which I am not even sure really exists.

It is disheartening that the proponents of this gas pipeline keep touting the economical benefits of “natural” gas while they blame the lack of pipeline infrastructure in our state for our economic woes. We see the potential of economic benefits of a gas pipeline alright...to the owner of the utilities and to big businesses that consume huge amounts of thermal energy. To the rest of us...the costs are already adding up.

One has to wonder how things got this bad. Why would our government allow one foreign company to be so heavily invested in the lion's share of our state's utilities? Why would our governor claim to be supporting a switch to renewable and independent energy sources but at the same time, back a plan that will hook us up to a fracked gas pipeline for the next 100 years? Why is a company that has no respect for agriculture and landowners, being allowed to plot and plan a design to crisscross a state renowned for it's beauty and landscapes, with pipelines carrying a lethal gas that has been extracted by extreme methods, rendering the areas it comes from poisoned and ravaged? One has to wonder, who designed this game, anyhow?

There is a groundswell of opposition growing against this pipeline. Those that have not been paying attention are starting to tune in and raise their voices against a fracked gas pipeline project that seems to be progressing along in spite of the outcries of dissent. If those outcries are ignored, they will get louder. Vermonters have a right to protect our land, our health and our economy. We have a right to refuse to take part in the desecration of our planet. We have a right to say “NO” to the Addison “Natural” Gas Project....

by Jane Palmer...a Great Writer, mom, farmer, activist.

more archives:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November 2013...already, time change...already, 

another imposition.
not enough sunlight, daylight, 
not enough Time.
Then I reel myself back in, take a nap and re-prioritize.
The time change adjustment will take only a few moments of random panic or tiredness, usually not attributable to a time change. 
The sunlight/daylight thing is best left alone. Sleeping more can be a good thing: quasi hibernation/reflective meditation.
The fact we do not have enough time is a strange one. That one depends on the definition of Time. I am too tired to start that one.
Finally, I am posting my comments on a proposed town plan for Monkton, Vermont. It is available to peruse on 
monktonvt.com
comments are due tomorrow. i did this at the last possible minute. it is overwhelming to comment, believing my comments will fall and blow away like the leaves. m.e.g.

I, Mary E. Gerdt, Monkton town landowner am commenting on the proposed town plan.
I found the 200 or so pages of the proposed town plan a bit too much to wade through.
There is a lot of subjective data like the flowery descriptions of a farm utopia turned bedroom community.
Neither seems accurate or relevant.
Each person who owns property has control over their property within the confines of rules and laws.
When the town uses a document to project a concept they impose on a landowner, a value, an image, it should not be in such subjective tones.
We do not need any more rules in Monkton, Vermont.
It is hard enough to develop lots. Please do not think about downzoning our property.
We already are taxed on best use.
Please correct cemetery Road on the map. The end was thrown up. I grow tired of asking for this. You should also add Norris's extension heading West.
Finally, in spite of all the work that went into this plan, I see little that I could support in a vote.
Every subjective sentence creates a slippery slope for landowners.
Please respond that you received this.,
Mary E. Gerdt

October 2013

As we are 2/3's of the way through October, thought I would report from my Monkton,Vermont news room.
It is hard working full-time and trying to keep up. Thanks to my followers and co Twitterers who keep me up on the worldwide stage.
Locally we fight the gas pipeline proposal that has environmental implications beyond any theoretical benefits. We got our tax bill, piled high and scary, over $500 @ month,
Smells more like rent. 
On the Bright side,
The colors have been spectacular and always too short lived. Remnants of colors stimulate your eyes and remind us of the winter to come.
Hunter's moon last weekend, Solar flare last week.

Cardinals v. Sox series. I sat with my Bohemian Uncle Frank listening to the radio: cards v sox in 1968 series. Great memories. Enjoy October 2013, mg

>>>>>below are archives....
September 2013

Fall is around the bend.

Finally rearranging parts of my blog. So cluttered, like I see piles of books and projects everywhere around me. Is that really such a bad thing?

Fighting the pipeline, in whatever time slots I can find.

Labor day gives most workers in the US an extra day to do whatever the heck we want to do. About 4 am I heard the rain POUR, then later the drip, drip of the roof and trees and the air is so damp, the air is dripping.

Humidity is not becoming of New England. Pretty soon we will be burning pellets and the winter will kill off the molds.

Our garden is a moderate failure and we are in good company. Somehow the lack of sunshine, excess rain early on, weed and bug proliferation and personal fatigue contributed. We are lucky to get anything and reminded of the heartbreaks of gardening that balance the triumphant years. It is so reassuring when a gardening comrade joins me in my misery, we both love the company. Enjoy Fall or Spring wherever you are on the planet. The colors have started here and it is always such a surprise. The swallows have left their nests. Last week they fed their month old babies in midair. Now they and babies are flying to Southern climates. And we think we are so advanced...mg


my favorite tweet of 2013:

The universe constantly plays back to you the energy that you are putting out into the world. Yes, you are that powerful! ♥#spiritchat&mdash'>https://twitter.com/search/%23spiritchat">#spiritchat
— Panache (@PanacheDesai) May'>https://twitter.com/PanacheDesai/status/338640126253096960">May 26, 2013

***Keeping posted because we must stop the nG pipeline plans.

We fight with words, not deeds.



Monkton Chronicles Guest Editorial

Here is the letter to the editor as it appeared in the May 27th edition of the

Addison Independent....

Selectboard ignored safety concerns while backing gas pipeline
project
We appreciate the Middlebury selectboard's sharing their reasons for their
continued endorsement of the Addison Natural Gas Project, however it appears
that a reality check is in order.
The selectboard says that the facts don't support concerns about the
increased danger the pipeline will represent. I guess the pipeline leaks that
Vermont Gas experienced last month (in St. Albans on April 24, and in Hinesburg
on April 25) and the leak less than a month later on May 21 in South Burlington
don't count. Thankfully, no spark ignited these leaks causing a deadly explosion
and fire.
The selectboard also cites lower greenhouse gas emissions as a reason for
supporting the Vermont Gas pipeline. Unfortunately, research conducted by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that up to 9 percent of
the gas leaks from gas wells, more than double the official inventory but in
line with estimates made in 2011 by a Cornell University research team who also
tested for methane leaks around active wells.
Then there is the study published in the journal Atmospheric Environment by
a UC Santa Barbara scientist who tested air samples across large parts of the
U.S. during a cross-country drive and found methane emissions far higher than
expected, confirming the more localized studies. This would not be a problem if
not for the fact that methane is over 100 times more potent a greenhouse gas
than carbon dioxide in the short term and about 21 times more potent in
accelerating climate change in the long term.
While our selectboard prides itself on making decisions based upon the best
information available, it appears that in this case the "best information"
considered by the selectboard is a report by the U.S. EPA, an organization with
the conflicting job of being both a regulatory agency and promoter of the fossil
fuel industry. EPA estimates are not based on extensive direct measurement,
monitoring and reporting of hard data, but are calculated indirectly by applying
estimated emission factors to data on the total amount of gas produced. An audit
by the inspector general of the EPA cited the agency for lacking "directly
measured air emissions data" and "a comprehensive strategy for improving air
emissions data for the oil and gas industry." The inspector general also found
that "about half" of the EPA emissions factors were based on insufficient or
low-quality data.
The board's letter declares their agreement that "renewables are necessary
for a sustainable future" and notes a United Nations report that predicts up to
21 percent of industrial energy usage will be from renewables by 2050. They are
failing to act upon this recognition since support of the pipeline delays
progress on implementing our renewable energy infrastructure. They instead
acknowledge other studies with slightly higher numbers, but with the overall
message that we will be depending on coal, oil, gas, and nuclear power for many
years to come.
They must not be aware of the recent Stanford University study that found
that New York state alone could supply 99 percent of the entire state's energy
needs from renewables within 20 years. With the realization that today, Germany
meets about 40 percent of its energy needs from renewables, it appears that the
real reason we will be relying on nuclear and fossil fuels for many years to
come, is because our political and business leaders continue to invest in fossil
fuel infrastructure and delay investment in renewable energy...the Middlebury
falls hydro-electricity project that has been languishing on the drawing board
for several years now comes to mind.
Selectman Nick Artim has stated that the majority of town residents support
the pipeline project. However, since no vote has been held on the issue and no
polling has been done to gauge residents' opinions, any statement that a
majority of citizens either support or oppose the gas pipeline project is just
speculation. If the selectboard were serious about allowing Middlebury residents
the ability to choose among our energy options, it would allow a vote on whether
the town should support the pipeline.
The selectboard also claims that economic savings by businesses are
necessary to create jobs, and suggests that we are suffering from some kind of
job crisis. The data do not support the position that natural gas service in an
important factor that causes businesses to succeed or fail, or impact the hiring
of workers. Vermont's unemployment rate, seasonably adjusted, was 4.1 percent in
March, third lowest in the nation. Compare that to the rates of states that have
the most dense interstate natural gas transmission lines in the nation: Ohio,
7.1 percent; Pennsylvania, 7.9 percent; New York, 8.2 percent; West Virginia,
7.0 percent; Texas, 6.4 percent; Louisiana, 6.2 percent. Clearly, variables
other than natural gas infrastructure have a greater influence on the economic
condition of a state or a county.
And yet, the strongest argument in favor of the pipeline made by the
selectboard is economics. Vermont Gas Systems will make hundreds of millions of
dollars for their Canadian owners if the pipeline is built. Unfortunately, the
rest of the businesses and residents who decide to buy fracked Canadian gas can
expect prices to rise significantly in the next few years because the collapse
in natural gas prices dropped the price below the cost of production, an
unsustainable situation for drilling companies. Thus, claimed savings of $200
million over 20 years that Middlebury can expect are grossly overstated. Savings
will only be short-term.
If the selectboard were serious about taking action to reduce emissions,
protect the environment, support the local economy, grow jobs, provide long-term
savings on fuel costs, and support the position of the majority of residents,
they would abandon further fossil fuel infrastructure development and
aggressively pursue renewables and energy efficiency. This past year a Vermont
legislative task force determined that it would take about $27 million to
retrofit 80,000 Vermont homes for energy efficiency while providing energy cost
savings and jobs, actions that polls have shown the majority of Vermonters
support. For the price of the Addison Natural Gas Project, we could retrofit
every home in Addison County with the latest energy-efficiency upgrades and
still have money left to install solar panels on many homes. However, it looks
like our selectboard is not going to allow facts to get in their
way.Ross Conrad and Alice Eckles
Middlebury
Bees be with you,
Ross Conrad
Dancing Bee Gardens

http://www.dancingbeegardens.com/

“The bee is more honored
than other animals, not because she labors,
but because she labors for
others”

-Saint John
Chrysostom
"We
don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of
change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the
world." – Howard Zinn

Will edit what has changed....Someone on no vt gaz pipeline list found the New York State funded study saying heck no to natural gas pipelines in rural areas, like say, can you spell Adirondacks? They cited enviro factors, burden on local volunteer first responders...Oh search for it. I cannot put up the article but you can find it and whoever they is that thinks they are going to cram the pipeline right through my neighbor Jane's Garden, really should read it....>nothing here changed....again disappointed at the price of gasoline, $3.60U.S./Gal here tax up 6 cents or is it 6%? ...food..groceries, Why was it so high again? The new taxes will be piled on, chipping away at our retirement, our budget. Still seeing elders and others in grocery store holding food items not sure..should I buy..put it back?...with stunned expression. I think the pro-taxation peeps think my earnings are a Public Asset to be milked. I really cannot say anything nice about the economy so maybe I should just say nothing.. There, none of that has changed this week.

Large group opposed to the fracking (just found out correct spelling is Fracing) pipeline fighting with pens, words and put an ad in the Addison independent. I try to post comments. Most say No to pipeline. Hey, Yoko did a cool you tube, also a judge ruled in NY on Thursday 5.2.13...let us hope for us that the pipeline will not be allowed in our rural idyllic town and that more people wake to the facts that frackin' is all wrong.

Speak up if you can. This is the time.

Also remembering to promote people like Alexis P. Suter and Levon Helm, Amy Helm and Joe Bonamassa plus Beth Hart...and dang Glenn Hughes in my top blog posts week after week...I know why! plus many more musicians who make life so much better.

Hope everyone who passes this gate has a wonderful week. Make a wish, a good wish, put it away, hope it comes true.

No, not one per customer. Make as many wishes as you like. mg

http://traveloguefortheuniverse.blogspot.com/

Monkton Chronicles....Breaking news we should have known

Breaking news

well, not exactly breaking,

i knew this place has had "issues",

Just hard to nail down, nobody to call.

This tidbit was posted on the town website by one of the fracking loving selectman.

I was happy someone in this town is waking up to the taxes mess.

This selectman failed to mention all the lawyers they hired to sue individuals or keep them from being able to use their land for getting gravel. This town is full of stones we cannot sell. Another very expensive lawyer used by the DRB appears to be casually on retainer.

icky stuff.

http://monktonvt.com/2013/09/26/taxes-increase/#more-3695

Monkton,Vermont Chronicles,

Monkton,Vermont Chronicles

9.22.2013

As we begin a new week, it is good to reflect, not dwell on last week.

Last week packed with beautiful cool weather, sunshine, moonlight.

The anti nG pipeline movement has momentum, makes sense, and has opponents.

Some media express editorial views and accept advertising revenue from nG.

The tax bills finally appeared, more, more of our bread demanded.

I am always searching for minutes to meetings, not able to attend and work and survive.

Picked apples and plums last weekend at Boyer's. Was nice picking.

Yesterday a wicked wind blew all day,

Rain today.

Monkton Chronicles Archives

Monkton Chronicle Archives

Moving my running rant into a blog post. Tomorrow begins September 2013. Still get excited around school supplies even though I do not attend school anymore.

June/July/August 2013
by mary e gerdt or others as guests editorials
all rights reserved

August 2013

Monkton Chronicles

Monkton, Vermont.

Monkton Chronicles August 2, 2013

Beautiful Vermont weather. Daytime 70's, nighttime 50's. Raining a lot when it does. The garden is slowly catching up. Speaking of catch up, Fred made some tasty fermented ketchup, or castup, however you spell it. Very tasty. We are trying our hands at pickles again and the fermented cuke pickles are quite interesting. Working on toning down the salt. Recipes on the WWW help get it down.

I planned on somehow archiving my archives of the chronicles. Too tired tonight. Have a Great week in your spot in the Universe. meg

Archives: July 16th. July halfway over and we got the rest of the plants in the ground. Tomatoes, onions, tomatillos, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts. Pared way down from some years. Luckily we waited. Many planted twice and lost both times. Getting late for here. The days already start getting "shorter", less daylight. Oh Yes, I tweetered to Astronaut Luca and he responded which was so very cool for a space groupie like myself. He said a day is a day up there too...

Travelogue entry: July 4th week.We got away to Virginia for a nice road trip. Fred is a good driver and we paced ourselves, rested and kept cool. Unusually cool there which is still warm but quite pleasant. We stayed w/friends and visited family too.

Fred ordered a sockeye salmon fresh caught in Alaska and we had a dinner that rivals any restaurant. Never had such a perfect tasting fish.

We had fried chicken w/family on Independence day and drove by Gettysburg, PA on the 150th anniversary of the infamous Bloody battle.

On the way back we had tickets in Woodstock, NY to see Amy Helm and her friends...one of them Natalie Merchant, who I did not recognize as a person who I have 2 of her CD's in 10,000 maniacs. I am so bad with names. I loved her voice, piano playing. Many other fine musicians there like Byron Isaacs, Dan Littlefield & Family, Simi Stone, Another woman...incredible music! Conor Kennedy-who I heard about last week and posted one of his you tubes-he has a new album. Fred and I got there at 6:30 and had a nice mex-style meal @ the Tin Cantina. We wandered to Levon's pond toasted him, watched the fish make ripples in still water...and we felt that Catskill aura. Peaceful. Special. The word???

Eden?

Perhaps that is the best word.

Eden's Spring,

A spring from which Great music will pour forth.

The concert to follow was Great, Fun, Rare.

Live music is, just once.

We are so grateful to have attended this second friday night concert @ the Barn 7.5.13 meg

7.7.2013

Soggy beginning to July in Vermont. The natural greenery, plants, flowers all full and healthy. The garden way behind.

Storms have brought flooding to many areas of the north country. Some areas still feeling the pain from Irene.

Our road washed out and we gently raked the rocks hoping the deluge slows down.

For me, still twittering, trying to balance musical/medical/interesting people-places-things/cyberstuff/news/writing/political-all sides/photography...Then my creativity lurched. Twitter said I could not follow someone. "Who says?" I thought! All I could do was... Google it..."There, Take That!" I said...and since that day I have vowed to sacrifice as few birds as possible as I keep under my 2001 Twit limit. Now up to 2006.

6.28.13 Still fighting the pipeline.

Scroll down for older comments and guest posts. If you tire of this rant, you can try to block it out and enjoy the music or tape some construction paper on the right side of the monitor so you can ignore it. Or go back to Bieber's tweet site. I only am up to 2006 people I can follow. Then I see Ruth Buzzi. I cannot follow her! Somebody has to go. no fair. Bieber gets all the followers he wants.

6.15.2013

Fighting the Gaz Pipeline,WT #$&%®£¥€!¡

So, the town of Monkton,Vermont sprang (or is it sprung,spanged?...no Crammed is more like it, shoved down the constituent throat like a bitter pill.

What did the SB decide to vote for now? I cannot tell you.

I heard heard a rumor the SB signed a deal w Canadian owned Gaz.

It is their deal. they have ignored constituents....wait....they ignored Certain, select constituents. So if your country is needing a model structure for democracy, you might want to avoid our town. Meeting less than 24 h notice and they decide what they want anyway....How can citizens change this...well first they must open their eyes and see. Then they must vote. Yes, so many US citizens do not vote. You will not hear that in the newspapers of the lands with paved roads, only here on my blog, also the first newspaper of Monkton,Vermont. We saved a tree by posting this online.meg

prior postings:

did the Addison Independent Really use the Nimby word? Like did they know how I think, feel, react? I also got a bit incensed when the 2 pro gas sb in Monkton go making pre-deals without authority.The same SB who will sell your property tax lien for being 6 months late paying. You have to hire a lawyer, disentangle it, explain to your bank, be shamed,pay 8% to tax collector (what did he do?) and you pay the town's lawyer, weird and late fees and what else, oh yes, the ad for the newspaper, which is why the newspaper likes it too.

Delinquent tax sales are unconstitutional. I wish I was a lawyer I would challenge. No one has because they like buying cheap property from poor working slobs like myself. They are sick and someone should stop this.

Locally, we fight the Gaz Pipeline with pennies and words.

Oh, I wish I could attend meetings and be everywhere fighting every bad situation. Alas, if I am even an instigator, illuminating change agent, then perhaps I have served my role in this battle against pipeline through our fair town of Montkon. Where we pay taxes to conserve land we cannot get to and can't sell rocks so why on Earth would anyone want to make our town a lowly transmission field. That already smells bad. Posting links as they come in as we live in a newspaperless town.

Please say No to the pipeline. Yoko Ono did, on you tube and she explained quite well why New York does not want it. Once I started researching, it is easy to find out why a lot of places do not want high pressures natural gas transmission lines in mountainous plus lakes/rivers in places like New York, and West Virginia. NY even funded a study showing All the reasons pipelines are Not the answer. Please vocalize your opposition at this critical junction. No the Gaz company does not have imminent domain nor do they have a right to be here and do what they want. No, the selectboard has not expressed the wishes of the town when they invite the Gaz people in. I have, however, given up on trying to convince the SB of anything. I am trying to explain to you, who may have partners, children, grandchildren, pets, animals, first responders and others you love who will be affected if this is allowed to go in. Once a right of way is established, the lines will grow, the pipeline will suffer leaks, someone will get hurt. Property values go down. Taxes go up even more with the burden on fire and safety personnel. All at the benefit of Middlebury College and the Paper Mill across the lake. Please say no to the pipeline, today and forever. My voice alone cannot make it stop.We Citizen Fracking Fighters have still been on an accelerated learning curve due
to the divisive, attacking nature of the Gaz company. It is time to stop, look
and listen to the citizens who understand the dangers, who have googled
mountainous high pressure gas lines and saw the explosions, the faux pax's of
humans moving too fast. I have studied the prices both cost with gas prices
expected to rise,and environmental with fracking-permanent damage to the
environment. Our town would be a transmission field for Middlebury. We say NO to
the Pipeline. Will you?

Pipeline Talking Points. Turn off if you have pipeline fatigue.

Pipeline Talking Points from my listserv,

representing hundreds of landowners, business owners, farmers,

workers, housewives, nurses,

people who care deeply about our environment, our water, our wells, our neighborhoods, our idyllic pastoral town, and those who are born to the above people, who wil inevitably inherit the environment we leave to them.

like me.

No newspaper here, far in the hinterlands,

where the roads end, we have to yell to the world,

to be heard at the town hall.

Feeling unable to fight this situation by saying how it all affects me or my neighbor.

Better to have succinct points,

are you still with me?

Environment

1. The ANGP would not reduce Vermonters’ dependence on fossil fuel. It would only facilitate replacing one fossil fuel for another.

2. VGS sells gas extracted by hydraulic fracturing. While Vermont has banned hydraulic fracturing within its own borders, the ANGP would sharply increase the utilization of fracked gas within Vermont, thus contributing to the expansion of fracking outside its borders.

3. VGS’ claims of reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions do not include leakage rates in the extraction, transmission and distribution of natural gas. The GHG effect of methane is 100 times that of CO2 in the first twenty years, and current leakage rates make natural gas a worse choice than either coal or oil. It is not “cleaner.”

4. The ANGP would only reduce Vermont's annual GHG emissions by 0.16%, and this small amount would be offset by the amount of methane leakage in the extraction of the gas. By contrast, weatherization would reduce GHG emissions by a rate 30 times greater than emission reductions for the ANGP and create far more jobs, strengthening the local economy.

5. Research conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that up to nine percent of gas leaks from wells, more than double the official inventory, but in line with estimates made in 2011 by a Cornell University research team who also tested for methane leaks around active wells.

6. A recent Stanford University study found that New York state alone could supply 99 percent of the entire state’s energy needs from renewables within 20 years. This is the model Vermont should consider in order to reach the goal of 90% renewables by 2050.

Safety

1. VGS’s proposed route has Vermonters’ homes situated permanently within the “Potential Impact Radius,” the area within which everything would be destroyed in the event of an accident.

2. In the U.S., approximately 27 serious natural gas incidents are reported each year on average, according to the Department of Transportation, resulting in an average of nine deaths, 45 injuries, and reported property damages totaling over $5.6 million. - From the Christian Science Monitor

Explosion, fire, death, and destruction - it's only a matter of when and where – and VGS cannot guarantee there will never be an explosion.

Ethics

It is unethical to facilitate the expansion of the toxic practice of hydraulic fracturing outside Vermont by increasing the market demand for natural gas within Vermont, and it is unethical to impose risk of death and destruction on communities and landowners within Vermont in so that large corporations and a small percentage of landowners may save money in the short term on their fuel bills.

Economics

1. Proponents of the ANGP claim Addison County and the western corridor of Vermont are at a serious economic disadvantage compared to other counties that have natural gas service, and that this “disadvantage” requires swift action to serve these areas with natural gas in order to help these areas retain and create new jobs. This is false. Vermont’s unemployment rate as of April 2013 is 4.0%, third lowest in the nation. Addison and Rutland counties both have unemployment rates that are proportional to their pre-recession rates.

2. Business development entities that support the ANGP claim natural gas service will help maintain and create new jobs. There is no data to support the position that natural gas service is an important factor that causes businesses to succeed or fail, or that natural gas service increases employment.

3. The ANGP is estimated to create only 20 new jobs per year. Weatherizing homes in Vermont would create 800 new jobs.

4. Claims that the ANGP will create more jobs are speculative. There is no guarantee businesses that would receive natural gas service will hire more employees.

5. Projected savings claimed by VGS for natural gas users are based on the assumption that natural gas prices will remain at historic lows indefinitely.

6. Claimed savings are overstated and short-term. The collapse in natural gas prices puts the price below cost of production, an unsustainable situation for drilling companies. Thus, businesses and residents who would convert to natural gas can expect prices to rise significantly in the next few years as prices rise to exceed cost of extraction.

7. ANGP phase II is solely paid for and intended to supply International Paper (IP) in New York. VGS states over 70% of the gas transmitted through the entire pipeline will be consumed by IP. This is not in the interests of Vermont or Vermonters.

8. Ratepayers of Chittenden and Franklin counties would pay $66.6 million of the ANGP construction costs, which will extend service to only 3,000 households. Comparatively, $66.6 million divided by the 14,150 households in Addison County would provide $4,703 per home for weatherization. Weatherization would cut BTU use by 20-30% per year, saving a homeowner $1,000 annually.

9. The financial dividends of weatherization far outstrip the short-term savings of natural gas service. It costs $2,000 - $5,000 for the average homeowner to convert to natural gas. This same investment in weatherization reduces overall fossil fuel use, and reduces heating costs over the lifetime of the house, as opposed to the short term savings of temporarily low natural gas prices.

Process

1. VGS has applied to the Public Service Board (PSB) for a “Certificate of Public Good” in order to construct their project. “Public Good” is an ill-defined, unquantifiable concept. Shouldn’t we better define the “Public Good” before we confiscate Vermont citizens property to hand over to a multi-national corporation?

2. Affected landowners have no voice in the PSB Section 248 process unless they spend many thousands of dollars on attorneys to protect their property rights against a multi-billion dollar corporation.

3. VGS objected to participation in the PSB Section 248 process by any group who may present an opposing point of view.

4. Corporations who stand to gain economic benefit by future phases of the pipeline not yet filed with the PSB have been granted intervener status in the PSB Section 248 process for Phase I. Meanwhile, potential affected landowners for future phases do not have the same opportunity to seek intervener status because routes have not been finalized.

SOURCES

Environment

Vermont 2011 Comprehensive Energy Plan
http://publicservice.vermont.gov/publications/energy_plan/2011_plan

Vermont Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Update 1990-2008
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/anr/climatechange/Pubs/Vermont%20GHG%20Emissions%20Inventory%20Update%201990-2008%20FINAL_09272010.pdf

Prefiled Testimony of Eileen Simollardes
http://addisonnaturalgas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/VGS-ANGP-Simollardes-PFT-12-20-12.pdf

Climate Impacts of Shale Gas Development
http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/howarth/Marcellus.html

Hydrocarbon Emissions Characterization in the Colorado Front Range http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/files/2012/02/Petron_Colorado_Front_Range_2011.pdf

Methane leaks erode green credentials of natural gas
http://www.nature.com/news/methane-leaks-erode-green-credentials-of-natural-gas-1.12123

http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/howarth/web/Marcellus.html

http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/NewYorkWWSEnPolicy.pdf

Safetyhttp://addisonnaturalgas.com/frequently-asked-questions/#safety

CFR Title 49 Vol. 3 Sec. 192.903

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0429/Prague-blast-How-big-a-threat-are-natural-gas-explosions-video

http://www.naturalgaswatch.org/?cat=8

Economics
Supplemental testimony of John Heintz
http://addisonnaturalgas.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Exhibit-Petitioner-Supp_JH-11-2-28-13.pdf

Petition Exhibit TSL-9 of Jeffrey Lyons
http://addisonnaturalgas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Exhibit-Petitioner-TSL-9.pdf

Thermal Efficiency Task Force (TETF) Report to the Legislature 1/15/13
http://publicservice.vermont.gov/sites/psd/files/Topics/Energy_Efficiency/TETF/TETF%20Report%20to%20the%20Legislature_FINAL_1_15_13_2.pdf

The Weatherization Assistance Program Briefing Book
http://www.waptac.org/WAP-Basics/Briefing-Book.aspx

Prefiled Testimony of Jeffrey B. Carr
http://addisonnaturalgas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/vgs_angp_carr_pft_12-20-12.pdf

Vermont Unemployment Statistics

http://www.vtlmi.info/

 

and if that fails, I decided I would post a gratuitous catchy cat photo to appeal to that side of your brain,

hey, the lizard worked for g*#c*!

 

 

tommy