The State of Vermont, the place where a vote for Obama is a vote for “shut-the-fuck-up-and-let-me-sleep,” is wetting itself with excitement over today’s news that its two energy corporation giants – CVPS and Green Mountain Power – are merging. Never mind that the merger/marriage is the result of a Canadian corporation forcing them to the altar. Oops, did I really say that? There goes my chance to be on Vermont This Week with whatshisname and his gang of pasty nappers. Oh well, there’s always next week on This Week, right?
But I digress.
What I wanted to say was: Vermont, you silly state of fools, stop cheering already.
Unless, of course, you like to cheer the nation to your north who seems to be enjoying the consumption of your electric lunch. Yes, for the geographically challenged amongst us, that would be: Canada.
The merger of two electric utility corporations that will mean one corporate entity owning and controlling 70% of the state’s electricity distribution cannot and will not be a good thing.
Governor Peter Shumlin might be enjoying pinching the ass of Green Mountain Power’s Mary Powell right now (oh, look at the big, happy Vermont family!), but this, too, shall pass. Crushes rarely materialize, dontcha know?
And then all Vermonters will be left holding the same bag marked: Oh Canada.
True, both of Vermont’s electric giants are stuck between a Canadian rock and a Canadian hard place (since both buyout offers involved Canadian energy titans), but that doesn’t mean Vermonters have to pretend that a choice between giving our energy future away for three cents rather than two-and-a-half cents is something to cheer about.
Either way, we’re losing energy autonomy.
Hip, hip, hooray?
Good luck with that.