4:08 Democratic Congressman Peter Welch was the keynote speaker to close out the recent Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network annual conference. The Action Network, commonly referred to as VECAN, describes itself as “the network of over 100 Vermont town energy committees and the organizations that support them.” The groups and network work on energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reduction and production of in-state renewable energy. The network’s 13th annual conference was held virtually this year and the agenda included a review of climate action opportunities, the status of solar, weatherization and transportation opportunities and energy equity. On the last day of the conference keynote speaker Congressman Peter Welch expressed optimism that there will be a marked change in energy and environmental policy when President-elect Joseph Biden is sworn in. “We’re going to have a new energy policy and that new energy policy is going to have the full backing of the President. And it is going to be to accelerate as quickly and as comprehensively as we can the existential challenge we have to bring down carbon emissions to zero and to move to a clean energy economy. I mean it’s breathtaking what it means to go from a person who was a denier that climate change exists to a person who’s going to have the most ambitious climate action policy of our lifetime. And it’s overdue.”