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Summer is finally with us and it is delightful to see the bounty of the gardens, hear the hoots from kids at the pool and reservoir, and enjoy the music and social time of our Rotary’s concerts in the park. Many thanks to the Waterbury Activities and Cultural Center, Revitalizing Waterbury, and the Congregational Church for a successful Stowe Street Arts Festival (in spite of torrential downpour), bringing together arts, culture, food, music and dance in the heart of our historic downtown. I feel so fortunate to live in a place with such a strong community spirit.

The biggest challenge I am hearing about this summer is the price of oil. I was asked recently: “What are you going to do about gas prices??” This is a vexing question, of course, because a state has little influence over the international supply and price of oil. However, our state can and does help Vermonters save money as they heat their homes and drive their cars. There is also a lot that individuals can do to save on their gas bills.

Great effort over the last session was dedicated to passing legislation to help prepare Vermonters for our energy crisis. We passed legislation to further invest in and expand the mission of Efficiency Vermont – the non profit organization established by the legislature to provide technical assistance and incentives to homeowners and businesses to increase energy efficiency and lower costs. Indeed, the more Vermonters invest in efficiency, the more we all save, as we drive down the price of electricity for our state. Since 2000, Efficiency Vermont has helped cut energy costs in homes and businesses by more than $31 million.

Another way to help Vermonters save at the pump is by providing public transportation. As a member of the House Transportation Committee, this is an issue I work on, and have been a strong advocate for. The state and federal government currently subsidizes public transportation services for seniors, people with disabilities, and commuters. We have been increasing these programs each year, and more people, particularly commuters, are riding the bus every day. (The Link service between Montpelier & Burlington, which stops in Waterbury, has three full buses each morning and evening).

But I believe that we need to do more at this time of economic challenge. Because people are so spread out in our rural state, Vermonters spend more time and money driving than the national average. We can not meet Vermonters’ needs by publicly financing our current model of providing public transportation services and I believe we need to be more innovative in our approach.

We can also learn from other places in the world. When I lived in South Africa (1996) I observed entrepreneurial spirit and innovation as the driving force for providing transportation. Rural taxi vans were the most popular form of transportation (as they are throughout much of the developing world). Perhaps this is a model we could look toward, where a public private partnership could enable entrepreneurs to establish taxi van services along commuter routes and also in remote areas.

We can all save by driving less. I am trying to carpool, ride the bus or my bike whenever possible. If you want to find new ways to get where you need to go contact the Green Mountain Transit Agency: www.gmtaride.org or call: 1-866-864-0211. For more information on ridesharing www.vermontrideshare.org or call 1-800-685-RIDE (7433).

I look forward to visiting with you to hear your concerns and share my ideas as I go door to door this summer. Please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Sue Minter
Rep. Sue Minter
900 Maggie’s Way
Waterbury Center, VT 05677
sue@sueminter.com
244-7955

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