Regional Energy Plan

LATEST NEWS

2018 ECOS Plan/Regional Energy Plan Receives Affirmative Determination of Energy Compliance
The Chittenden County Regional Energy Plan, part of the 2018 ECOS Plan, received an affirmative determination of energy compliance from the Department of Public Service on August 9, 2018. | View the certification documents »

The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) has developed a focused Regional Energy Plan to advance the State’s Comprehensive Energy Plan’s climate and energy goals while also being consistent with municipal and regional land use plans. The Regional Energy Plan will help to implement the recent legislation (Act 174) to improve the siting of renewable energy projects by giving towns and regions a greater voice in the Section 248 process.

SEE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ON:

REGIONAL ENERGY PLAN »
MUNICIPAL ENERGY DATA GUIDES »
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION »
LRPC SUB-COMMITTEE »
RESOURCES »
CONTACT »
BACKGROUND »

Regional Energy Plan

The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) adopted the 2018 ECOS Plan on June 20, 2018, an update to the 2013 ECOS Plan.

This 2018 update focused mainly on updates to the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), and will serve as the Region’s Enhanced Energy Plan.

The Vermont Department of Public Service held a public hearing on August 6, 2018 to provide input on the 2018 ECOS Plan. | View the public hearing presentation here »

The Plan received an affirmative determination of energy compliance from the Department of Public Service on August 9, 2018. | View the certification documents here »

For more information about the plan and public process, please visit the ECOS website.

Municipal Energy Data Guides

CCRPC developed Municipal Energy Data Guides in early 2017 and updated them in February 2018. The new Municipal Energy Data Guides for each municipality are below. These guides are intended to support local planning and to assist municipalities with understanding their role in meeting their State’s energy goals.

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Public Participation

CCRPC staff have conducted presentations at various Planning Commission meetings around Chittenden County, and hosted trainings at our offices:

2017:

2016:

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LRPC Energy Sub-Committee

As of March 2023, the Long-Range Planning Committee Energy Sub-Committee materials and information is located on the LRPC webpage. Please visit that webpage for updated agendas, minutes, and other relevant information.

Historical Meeting Materials

The CCRPC engaged a diverse group of people with knowledge of energy and planning and who represent municipalities. Below are the meeting materials for the committee from 2016 through 2018.

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Resources

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Contact

For more information, please contact Melanie Needle, CCRPC Senior Planner, at (802) 846 -4490 x *27.

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Background

The CCRPC is developing a focused Regional Energy Plan to advance the State’s Comprehensive Energy Plan’s climate and energy goals while also being consistent with municipal and regional land use plans.  The Regional Energy Plan will also help to implement the recent legislation (Act 174) to improve the siting of renewable energy projects by giving towns and regions a greater voice in the Section 248 process.

Act 174 requires all Regional Energy Plans to have a “Determination of Energy Compliance” from the Department of Public Service. With this determination, the Public Service Board will give “substantial deference” to the plan – meaning that regional land use policies will be considered through the Public Service Board’s approval process for certificates of public good for electric generation projects.  The Department of Public Service is working on the standards by which a regional plan would be evaluated in order to receive the “Determination of Energy Compliance.” These standards will be final November 1, 2016 and posted here.

CCRPC has begun work on getting input from municipalities on where renewable energy generation should be encouraged and where it should be avoided. This input along with guidance from the CCRPC’s Long-Range Planning Committee Energy Sub-Committee will inform the development of regional renewable energy resource maps. The Regional Energy Plan will also discuss targets for energy use and renewable energy generation, tied to the Vermont energy goal of obtaining 90% of Vermont’s energy from renewable sources by 2050. The Plan will also include specific regional land use and transportation strategies for energy efficiency and fuel switching.

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