Social commentary

From the Times Argus

WILLISTON — Vermont visionary David Blittersdorf has bad news and good news

The bad news, he says, is that the nation and world will run out of oil and face catastrophic collapse at local, national and global levels. The good news is that a combination of conservation and renewable energy sources can avert a crisis, but it will require a concerted effort — and commitment — to do so.

Blittersdorf’s latest pitch on the renewal energy front is to bring back passenger rail service in central Vermont with 1950s-era self-propelled diesel rail cars. It’s his latest salvo that has included pioneering progress in wind and solar energy programs in the state. For Blittersdorf, the writing is on the wall, but he hopes to help rewrite the dismal history of the future.

More than once, he described his plan as “Back to the Future” that will transform the way Vermonters travel while helping to cut the state’s dependence on fossil fuels and combat climate change in an effort to become 90 percent net-zero carbon free by 2050…..

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He said “Peak Oil” — when demand exceeded supply — occurred in 2007, only delayed by the fracking of oil and gas for another 10-15 years, with an exponential increase in carbon emissions and untold environmental damage.

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“IntheAmericanempireand where we think we are, we’re going down the other side… we don’t have the resources in the future that we think we have,” Blittersdorf said. “Everyone thinks we can grow into infinity forever. Sowe’resettingourselves upfor something really bad.

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“We have to start somewhere, and the efficiency gain over getting people out of cars is we can be 50 to 100 times more efficient, so we’ll cut emissions immediately, and we can do it as a reasonable price. That’s key,” Blittersdorf said.

stephen.mills@timesargus.com

Here is a rebuttal..

From the Ethan Allen Institute.

It is a canon of Green theology that irresponsible, selfish Americans must be taxed or subsidized out of their personal vehicles and into a group carriage like a rail car, all to save the planet from the menace of global warming.

Guess who is behind the new push for commuter rail? Mr. Green enterprise himself,  VPIRG donor David “Wind Farm” Blittersdorf. He laid out $6 million for some reconditioned rail cars from Dallas in the hope of marrying them with the state owned rail lines and stations, to whisk commuters to Burlington from Rutland and maybe Montpelier.

And here’s the inevitable kicker: Blittersdorf “readily acknowledged that he won’t get this project rolling without public or private subsidies, or both. He imagines that some of Vermont’s large employers such as UVM, Global Foundries and state government will subsidize the trains in exchange for free transit for their employees.”

Oh, really? Are Vermonters dumb enough to fall for this costly foolishness all over again?

Let me state one thing from the beginning…I love trains/railroads.  As a kid I would hear a train whistle in the distance. I would get on my bike and race down to the bridge that went over the tracks. When I would first see the head light from the locomotive then hear it’s roar I would get tense from excitement. I would wave to the engineer and he would wave back.  I would listen to the click-ity clack of the wheels and try to count the freight cars. I would then wave at the guys in the caboose (yes..it was a long time ago).

Commuter trains certainly have there place…in large populated urban centers.  of which Vermont is not one…yet.  Perhaps if we only allow another 200,000 refugees from the middle east and central America to come to Vermont for a better life, commuter trains will be a much positive asset.

When Mr. Blittersdorf and the state of Vermont work out the details I and I’m sure many others will have to check it out and take a ride just for the joy of riding the rails. And I’m sure more then a few will utilize it for regular commuting.

But I certainly doubt that it’d going to break even cost wise. And Vermont  taxpayers will be forced to watch public money used to subsidize a religion, the church of climate change.

But this is what “Progressives” consider progress.

 

 

 

Many years ago when I was just a wee lad, the year was 1959 and it had been announced that the Budd car passenger rail service up the Connecticut River from White River Jct. to St. Johnsbury was to be terminated. This was several years before Interstate 91 even crossed the Mass. border into Vermont but by now the automobile was king. It was just not profitable anymore. My Parents decided to take me on the last run to give me the experience of riding a train. I remember still watching my Aunt and Uncle follow us in their car up Route 5 which ran parallel to the track. It was great fun. After that rail travel went extinct.

Fast forward to today.

From the Times Argus

MONTPELIER — “Back to the Future” is how officials described the return of an old technology to power a future transportation system with the arrival of 1950s-built, independently powered rail cars in the Barre-Montpelier area on Tuesday. 

The Budd rail diesel cars — or Budliners — are among 10 purchased to run passenger rail service in both central and western Vermont that could pave the way to meet net zero-energy emissions goals in the state.

 

The driving forces behind the program are venture capitalist David Blittersdorf and Montpelierbased Net Zero Vermont.

Blittersdorf is the former CEO of NRG, a successful wind-energy company, who subsequently launched AllEarth Renewables — both based in Williston — to build energy-efficiency enterprises that reduce fossil-fuel demand and slow climate change.

 

“The vision of the future is that we have to get back to mass transit, we have to get back to train, so I call this ‘Back to the Future,’” Blittersdorf said. “What settled Vermont, what settled the U.S. and even the world were the rail lines and the river and boat traffic.”

He said the old technology would make a comeback because it’s the most efficient way to move people and freight.

“Vermont is so small and we can innovate. With the rail, we are going to lead,” Blittersdorf added.

He spent over $4 million to buy 12 Budliner rail cars from a Texas company that had restored them. The cars are individually powered by diesel engines and do not require a locomotive to pull them. The cars can carry 80 passengers and provide an alternative to people driving cars.

Additional photos here.

 

So basically what we have are buses that run on railroad tracks. That Mr. Blittersdorf used his own money to purchase them is commendable.

The only problem with rail is…and now don’t get me wrong,  I’ve a lot of experience with railcars, and I have nothing against the concept of mass transit,  is that unless your going to have a flexible schedule, i.e. a single RDC leaving Barre-Montpelier every hour for Burlington, and vice versa, people are forced to accommodate their schedule to the trains.

And after you arrive at your destination and your job is miles away from the rail station…TAXI!

And a little bit more of your freedom disappears.

Since the RDC’s will be going back and forth on a single track,  and sharing it with freight trains and Amtrak safety will need to be of prime concern. These cars were built in the 1950’s, will they be upgraded with 21st century technology? That won’t be cheap.

Will there be  local and express trains? One stopping in every town and one direct to the big city?

What will be the price of tickets? What happens went the novelty wears off. What happens if the whole enterprise is awash in red ink? Every rail service in the entire world requires subsidizes i.e. taxpayer money.

But remember, we have to save the planet,

Well, I wish them luck in their endeavor. While riding the rails one will be able to look out the windows and see acres and acres of corn and cows solar panels may not be as green as you think.

I will be looking forward to giving it a ride someday. If only to reminisce about that day long ago.  And what America was.