Hello from Montpelier. We just passed S.5, "The Affordable Heat Act", the House is proposing some amendments from the version the Senate passed, so now the bodies need to negotiate the difference between those two versions. But I have little doubt the bill will pass this session in some form. This bill has changed A LOT in its path through the state house. Some of the coverage and talking points have been misleading, focus on pieces that were removed at earlier stages in the legislative process or focus on things that were proposed but never added at different stages. This bill is complicated, but the impetus for it is simple. Most of us, including my household, rely on propane, heating oil, kerosene or other heating fuel that is subject to price swings beyond our control. My household uses ~100 gallons of propane per month in the winter, we use it primarily for hot water, but also supplemental/backup heat on the below-zero days. In April 2021, I paid $2.49/gallon for propane, in April 2022, $3.52/gallon and in April 2023, $2.69/gallon. That $100 may not sound like much to some, but it's hard for us. The purpose of this bill is to create a plan to help Vermonters use less of these fuels, mostly through weatherization or installing new heating technologies, things that are financially out of reach for many Vermonters. But this bill does not implement any tax or fee. At different times, opponents have suggested this bill includes a 70 cent tax on heating fuels, but that is misleading. The purpose of the bill again is to design a plan and study what fee would be necessary for that plan. But the bill is designed for the legislature to have to weigh in again before any such tax/fee could go into effect. The fact is that these heating fuels are finite resources, we will run out of them, and their prices will continue to fluctuate wildly. Vermonters will be better served if they do not have to rely on them and can transition to more stable fuels for heat. This bill is a first step in that direction. As always please reach out about this or anything else anytime, I do ask that you call/text my phone or reach out to my new email address as opposed to any other, I just get too much spam on all others. Logan Nicoll State Representative Ludlow, Mount Holly, Shrewsbury RepLoganNicoll@gmail.com 802-345-8430 | 
