Burlington Electric Announces Article by COO Darren Springer to be Published in William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

The Burlington Electric Department (BED) today announced that an article written by Darren Springer, BED’s Chief Operating Officer and Manager for Strategy and Innovation, will be published in the upcoming issue of the William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review. In the article, titled “Beneficial Disruption: Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard and the Need for Innovative Utility Regulation in the 21stCentury,” Springer makes the case that electric utilities are indispensable climate change fighters.

“Darren has it exactly right: Vermont utilities are the hub of energy innovation and will continue to help put the brakes on climate change,” stated Neale Lunderville, General Manager at Burlington Electric. “Our vision at Burlington Electric is to create a net zero energy city and our corresponding actions – like offering electric vehicle incentives, facilitating the addition of electric buses to Burlington’s transit system, and growing energy efficiency programs – are on the leading edge of what’s possible with new technology and innovation. I applaud Darren’s initiative to start a national conversation about the critical role utilities should play in the fight against climate change.”

Springer, who currently serves as a Climate Change and Renewable Energy Policy Fellow at the University of Vermont Center for Research on Vermont, stated: “At a time when the federal government is rolling back climate policies, my premise is that we have new hope for climate action through policies that transform a 19th Century industry – the electric utility sector – into a 21st Century catalyst for change. This article outlines how thoughtful utility regulation, coupled with innovative technologies, can help our nation reach a clean energy future. In particular, it examines how Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard offers a model framework for achieving beneficial economic and environmental results.”

The UVM Center for Research on Vermont promotes Vermont research and public policy solutions that directly address the critical problems facing Vermont and the nation. The Center is focused on applied research from the Vermont “laboratory” – research that provides original knowledge and policy solutions for pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. The Center’s Director, Richard Watts, also a lecturer on media and policy, stated: “The Center for Research on Vermont appreciated the opportunity to support Darren’s timely research on how Vermont can serve as a model for other states when it comes to innovative energy policy. We especially value the important policy analysis experiences that critical projects like this provide for our Center’s student interns, as we succeed in simultaneously helping our state and growing future leaders.”

*Commentary about Springer’s upcoming article was published yesterday by VTDigger and can be found here.