Bram Kleppner
DemocraticQ1 What policies, if any, do you support or envision in managing land-based resources in Vermont (i.e. water, open-space preserves, parks)?
“We passed a bill protecting Vermont’s waters from data centers, which the Governor vetoed, but which his team tells me we can adjust and reconsider. I’m interested in seeing if we can extend the current use program to natural meadows and forests, without requiring crops or timber harvest. I support the 30 by ‘30 and 50 by ‘50 goals and legislation.”
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Q2 Natural resources and the natural environment in Vermont contribute to tourism, public health, agriculture, and manufacturing production. What policies, if any, do you support that could contribute to environmental stewardship, environmental research, or environmental protections in Vermont?
“I supported Vermont’s first-in-the-country ban on paraquat, and will continue to support policies that protect our forests, fields, farms, rivers, and lakes and support in-town development of housing.”
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Q3 Vermont is facing growing flood risk, reduced snowpack, and altered forest composition. What policies, if any, do you support in addressing how natural disasters are affecting industries and life in Vermont?
“Restoring flood plains, minimizing deforestation and forest fragmentation, rebuilding buildings damaged or destroyed by flooding on higher ground, making clear decisions about what to protect from flooding in place, and what to move, designing infrastructure like bridges, roads, buildings, and power supplies to be flood-resistant.”
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Q4 Advances in artificial intelligence and expansion of data centers are expected to affect industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, education, and transportation across the country. What policies, if any, do you plan to implement to address these potential impacts in Vermont?
“As noted above, we passed a good data center bill protecting Vermonters from higher electric rates and protecting Vermont’s waters, which the governor vetoed. We’ve also worked on data privacy, and will continue to do so. Protecting Vermonters against the malicious use of AI to create deep fakes and other scams is more difficult, but we have to address it.”
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