Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vt., has proposed to send $5 million in funding to the state's Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF), which helps finance solar projects and other renewable energy initiatives.
‘Our leadership in clean energy in Vermont is remarkable,’ Shumlin said in his budget address, according to a transcript posted on his website. ‘We have more green jobs per capita than any [other] state in the country. Since I became governor two years ago, we have seen the amount of solar energy on our grid double.’
Renewable Energy Vermont, a state-level trade association, applauded the governor's action, which was initiated by the Vermont legislature's emergency board.
Infusing the CEDF with new investment ‘is a win-win for Vermonters,’ said Gabrielle Stebbins, executive director of Renewable Energy Vermont, in a statement. ‘It promotes small-scale renewable energy generation, while spurring local economic development and local jobs.
‘Every $1 invested by the CEDF in the state incentive program results in more than $4 in other funding,’ Stebbins added.Â
