New video calls for Veto Override on Campaign Finance Reform Bill

Check out this great new video by a volunteer asking the Legislature to override Governor Douglas’ veto of the Campaign Finance Reform bill.



Every voice counts when democracy is at stake. So call your legislator and ask them to vote yes on the veto override of S.278 by calling 802 828-2231

Steppin’ It Up Montpelier Style

On Saturday Nov. 3 200+ hardy folks came to the steps of the golden dome to make their voices heard on climate change. With the national theme of “Whose a leader?” everyone was encouraged to offer their ideas on how Vermont and specifically our governor can be a leader in addressing climate change and steering the state toward a clean energy economy. Needless to say no one at the Montpelier rally was shy. And with excellent tunes from Paul Markowitz and the Great Brook Blues Band keeping our hands clapping and toes tapping and deeelicious cider, apple pie and ice cream from Cold Hollow Cider Mill and Ben & Jerry’s no one seemed to mind the chilly temperature and cloudy skies.

The rally was cosponsored by VPIRG, Vermont Natural Resources Council, Vermont Alliance of Conservation Voters and the National Wildlife Federation and it drew one of Vermont’s most historic leaders to the podium. Former Gov. Phil Hoff spoke movingly about the challenges he faced as head of the state during the turbulent times of the civil rights movement and issued a challenge of his own to the assembled activists: “I find that environmentalists as a group have tended to talk to themselves and I think the challenge now for those of us involved in the environmental movement is to get down and talk to the average person on the street.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders also sent a message to those Stepping It Up in Montpelier, outlining recent action in Washington and urging Vermonters to keep the pressure on Congress to pass meaningful legislation on climate change and clean energy.

Once again, as at past Step It Up and other climate change events, Vermont’s Governor Jim Douglas, although invited, did not show up. His absence was noted with an empty chair and a giant pair of scissors.

Burlington Steps It Up Again!

This weekend in Burlington I had the honor of being a part of Step It Up 2: Burlington. Months of work and organizing culminated in a 3 hour event at Battery Park where more than 500 Vermonters gathered to ask their leaders to Step it Up on Global Warming policy at every level of government.

We had more than 25 tablers with all sorts of info, American Flatbread with their unbelieveably cool portable hearth, sugar snap, and host of other great vendors. We also had a slew of elected officials. Attorney General Sorrell, Speaker of the House Symington, Congressman Welch, Mayor Kiss, and Former Governor Madeline Kunin all made impassioned pleas for those not yet with us on this issue to get informed and get active!

But most importantly, we had you, the people of Burlington and Chittenden county came out in droves on an overcast and chilly day to show your support for stepping up our fight against global climate change. Thank you all so much for coming, it was an important day. But it cannot be the last day. We must continue to organize our friends and mobilize our communities or there will will be no movement and we will not turn back the tide of global climate change.

Thanks again! And the pictures are coming soon!

DPS energy hearings start with a BANG!

Last night’s energy forum in St. Johnsbury was a BLAST! Faced with the tough choice of how to meet our future energy needs, voters came through with the answer :

We can choose to continue relying on dirty and expensive sources like Yankee and fossil fuels with disastrous consequences for our climate, economy and environment. Or choose a brighter energy future that creates thousands of jobs, cuts global warming pollution, and leaves our children a legacy of prosperity.

I was pleasantly surprised, with a few caveats, that the forum presented the choice before Vermonters in reasonable terms. Presented with that evidence, an overwhelming number of the Northeast Kingdom voters who showed up wanted renewable energy and energy efficiency to meet our future electricity needs. They also strongly opposed continued reliance on nukes, fossil fuels, and imported power.

Some examples:

• 84% of voters wanted Vermont to get more power from renewable sources;
• When asked if government should require utilities to to provide a minimum percentage of power from renewables: 53% strongly agreed, and only 15% strongly disagreed;
• 75% support increased funding for Efficiency Vermont;
• and, when asked to rate their level of concern about various environmental impacts, voters were nearly twice as concerned about nuclear waste and global warming as they were about the visual impacts of wind turbines.

(more results in the full report)

I’m excited about the upcoming forums in Burlington, Montpelier, Springfield and Rutland and encourage everyone to join us at one for a powerful evening where voters have a real chance to shape our energy future….don’t forget to register!

Here’s the full (long) report.

Another take on the day of near overrides

I said earlier this week that no matter which way the votes went on July 11 we would make history. Not to toot my own horn, but I sure was right.

Sean and Colleen's posts below cover a lot of the mood and feeling of the day. I wanted to add my own perspective as well. I also want to succinctly lay out all of the various votes that happened that day because I think that story of procedure is illuminating in this case.

The first vote, and first surprise of the day actually happened in the Senate which voted early in the day to override the governor's veto 24-5, with one Senator absent (get the roll call here). The outcome may have been expected but one surprise was Sen. Scott (R-Washington) who crossed party lines to support the implementation of S.164's common-sense limits on campaign contributions.

While the Senate was voting, the crowd of override supporters inside the statehouse was building. By 9:30 I'd already run out of our first 250 piece printing of 1-page of talking points for citizen lobbyists. By 10 am when the House convened to take up the global warming bill we were overflowing the House chamber and doing out best not to obstruct traffic in the halls.

And when the House broke to caucus at about 10:30, we were at our peak of attendance, about 400 people, and absolutely jammed rooms 10 and 11 where the Republicans and Democrats, respectively, met to debate the bill's merits by party. I literally could not get in the door to room 10, but heard that some legislators were a little annoyed to find a crowd of constituents and citizens taking up most of the room's chairs. In Room 11, which I did squeeze into for a minute, people were seated in ever square inch of floor space, as well as in every chair, and Speaker Symington got several impromptu ovations from the crowd for her defense of the bill. What I remember most from the Speaker's speech, which i admittedly did not hear all of, was her request that members of her party remember that "Our votes today are going to build the future our children and grand children live in. That's what this vote is about."

But the speaker's passionate appeal, the 400 citizens, the thousands of phone calls and the will of 72% of Vermonters was denied on Wednesday. At a little after 11am, the House re-convened to take up H.520. There were some powerful speeches both for and against the bill: rep Rachel Weston spoke eloquently in defense of the bill and the override I thought. As did our perennial champion on this issue, Rep. Klein of east Montpelier.

By now you'll have read the coverage that we once again won the majority, but not a big enough one to enact the bill: 86-61 was the vote, almost identical to what it was last time. We did convince a few Reps to change their vote and support the bill. But in the end the united front of big business and the governor proved to big an obstacle for just over 1/3 of elected Representatives.

It was the among the toughest 5 minutes of my life when they called that roll and so few Representatives had changed their minds. I know it was tough for a lot of you too, who have worked so hard to make global warming a priority for the House and Senate. But like any activist worth his salt, I quickly converted my disappointment to outrage. And when the House adjourned for lunch and a torrential rain storm prevented our plans for a rock-concert and rally on the front steps we did the only thing we could: James Moore and I marched up to the Speaker's office and demanded that the public be given the use of the House floor for 20 minutes so we could to tell the assembled activists that the fight was not over yet.

20 minutes later, James climbed up to the speaker's podium and from the applause you would have thought he was a conquering hero. Even after the difficult defeat, our crowd filled all 150 seats the legislature uses, plus most of the gallery. And when Bill McKibben told them that the issue wasn't going away and neither would we until the governor and ALL legislators start listening, the cheers form the crown could be heard all over the building.

But the biggest surprise came from the last speakers to join us on the floor of the House: Senate President Peter Shumlin and Senate Majority Leader John Campbell jogged into the room fresh from a hurried lunch-meeting with the Speaker. Over lunch and in light of the narrow loss in the House, the Senators had agreed to press their chamber to suspend it's own rules and take up a compromise energy bill based on H.520, but without the tax on Vermont Yankee. Suddenly, energy and global warming legislation was alive again in the statehouse as Shumlin and Campbell worked with senators from both parties to forge a consensus on the bill.

Meanwhile, our crowd cleared the floor and the house took up S.164. The vote count was incredibly close, and House Republicans that had been considering breaking party ranks to support the override as Sen. Scott had already done could be seen getting a thorough dressing-down from party leadership just outside the chamber. In the end, however, we turned up one vote short 97-50 (3 likely yes votes were absent) and fat-cats and special interests gained a 6-month reprieve from any limits on spending. That vote won't stand for long, however. As soon as the House reconvenes in January and attendance is more likely from those missing 3 legislators, look for this bill to re-appear on the floor and get enacted quickly with few if any amendments.

Finally, we were down to the true last hope for the energy bill. The senate motion to suspend rules passed and the bill was given debate and consideration. In one telling moment I saw republican Senators Phil Scott, Bill Doyle and Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie (who presides over the Senate) with their head's close together just outside the Governor's office. If you saw Chanel 3's coverage (read the transcript here), you know that the Governor was having none of it. Despite impassioned requests from legislative leadership and members of his own party, the Governor refused any compromise on energy and climate legislation: at one point he even refused to speak to Speaker Symington, and sent his chief of Staff Betsy Bishop out to send her away while he remained sequestered away in his office behind a heavy door and 2 state troopers.

Even without the governor, we were able to convince a bi-partisan coalition of Senators to support the compromise energy bill, which passed 23-6. But the Republicans in the House were not as willing to move legislation as their Senate Counterparts. In a striking moment of partisan-division obstructing progress on an issue that has clearly captured public attention: the House split exactly along party lines - 93-49 - on a vote about whether or not to even consider the new bill from the Senate. That vote was short of the 3/4 majority needed to suspend the Houses' rules. With that, climate change legislation was truly dead for the year. The House voted to adjourn a few minutes later and we were left with the re-caps, the spin and about 500 little plastic sticker-backings to clean up.

In all, the day was a disappointment for sure. But it was also hugely energizing. As Paul and several other staff have noted, this was one of the largest turnouts in State House history. And coming as it did on a work-day in the middle of July, that is an achievement in itself.

The Senate's willingness several times to look beyond partisan wrangling and back legislation that was good for Vermont was also encouraging and a sure sign that in Vermont, as in the national Congress, we sometimes look to the smaller and more collegial of our two legislative bodies to provide leadership on challenging policy issues.

And finally I am given hope by the simple math of it all: a shrinking minority of legislators and the Governor opposed our bills. They backed the interests of a handful of multi-billion dollar corporations and fat-cat donors. But just how long do you think they can hold out with 73% of the public and the legislature supporting our cause? How long can a majority block, filibuster and obstruct progress before passage of time and rising of consciousness deliver a victory to our team?

Not long I think, not long. Stay tuned. The last vote on global warming is not cast yet in the legislature or in the voting booth and we're counting on your support to win the next round.

A Day to Run Away, A Day to Move Forward

First, a quick apology to those of you looking forward to a live blog from the State House yesterday. We ran into some significant technical issues that could not be resolved on site. So once again, my apologies.

Yesterday, as you all are aware, 61 members of the House voted to uphold Governor Douglas’ veto of the comprehensive energy efficiency and global warming bill. In spite of overwhelming scientific evidence pointing to the need for action and massive public support for the bill, these legislators buckled under the weight of special interest pressure.

Also, 50 members of the House voted against overriding Governor Douglas’ veto of the Campaign Finance bill. Perhaps with an eye on larger campaign donations from PACs and political parties, they once again decided to vote against the public interest.

Feel me building a rhythm here?

Finally, even after the pieces of the global warming bill that Governor Douglas deemed most offensive were taken out of the bill, 54 legislators could still not see their way clear though the heat, humidity and fog of special interest influence to do what’s right for Vermont.

In other words, they ran away.

They ran away from the facts and from the great weight of public opinion.

In fact, you can watch Governor Douglas showing them how to do it by running away from a polar bear and Bill McKibben right here:



However, it was also a day to move forward.

More than 400 Vermonters turned out yesterday to show their support for pro-active change in the way we do business, including Bill McKibben and a really cute polar bear who was sadly rejected by her legislators:

We lobbied our legislators, we showed our support to the heroes of this bill, and we made our positions known. We made it clear that the agents of business-as-usual and influence peddling are not the only voices in the State House. The people, too, have a voice and a say and if anything is clear from yesterday’s events it is that the while the enemies of progress won a victory, they are not going to win the war.

In other words, I think we’ll look back on the day as a last chance for those who do not believe in global warming or fair elections to celebrate victory in Vermont.

For the rest of us, it was our day to move forward.

Check out what Bill McKibben had to say at an historic address in the well of the House after the vote:

Thank you again everyone for coming together on a stormy afternoon and helping us push Vermont forward and make the future we all deserve.

Overrides Fail But the Battle Goes On...

Nearly 500 Vermonters filled the State House today in a passionate attempt to get their legislators to put politics aside and do the right thing for the future of this state by overriding two gubenatorial vetos of the campaign finance reform and global warming energy bills. Sadly, in both cases enough of those legislators failed to listen to the overwhelming majority of Vermonters and chose special interest over the public interest by voting to sustain the vetoes.

The good news is that we gained momentum -- and votes -- on every vote today. That, together with the hundreds of Vermonters that joined us in this effort, will help ensure that we carry this momentum forward to make sure that in the end, we prevail. As Bill McKibben said today, we are gaining momentum and we're not going away.

Stay tuned for more details from today's momentous events, including the appearance at the State House of that single polar bear that Jim Douglas refuses to help.

Are you ready to rumble?

Tomorrow is the big day for both campaign finance and global warming. The VPIRG office is a hub of activity: a crew of interns from our sibling-organization TAC is making posters and cutting the bright green stickers that activists will be wearing to identify themselves as pro-override; the copier is running at maximum speed churning out talking points, posters and flyers; and staff are furiously answering calls and emails from citizens all over the state who want to be part of the history made tomorrow. In a minute you'll get an email from us inviting you to join us at the State House tomorrow or call your legislator and tell them to vote yes on both override votes.

Earlier today, we held a news conference with AARP and VBSR releasing new poll data that shows a whopping 72% of Vermonters support H.520's plan to cut heating bills and global warming pollution. We also released a list of more than 150 Vermont businesses that have signed a petition endorsing the override - so much for the bill being anti-business, huh? Moments after our press conference ended, the Speaker and Pro-Tem emerged from a last meeting with Governor seeking a fair compromise on the bill. They left empty-handed. Governor Douglas, it seems, is more interested in scoring political points than advancing legislation that will lower heating bills, create jobs and fight global warming.

And so we go once more to the breach, and it's going to be quite a show. Not just the vote, mind you: our plans include speeches from Bill McKibben, musical performances by X10 and a local rock group, and a visit from a friendly polar bear - you know, the one Douglas doesn't think we can save?

I do hope you can join us, and once again I'll be blogging from the floor whenever the vote gets underway...thanks again!

What's up with the global warming override?

It's been a busy few weeks here at VPIRG and we are fielding a lot of calls from people asking "what's up with the that veto override on global warming?"


The answer is - well - complicated. But let me try and untangle the recent news into a clear narrative:


1) A growing list of celebrities and opinion leaders are joining the call for the override: Al Gore endorsed the override on June 6. Then last week local high school students and rappers X10 put out a serious, and seriously funny video endorsing the override. Now Bill McKibben has joined the call, inviting all Vermonters to join him at the State House on July 11 as we seek to make Vermont a national leader in the fight to stop global warming. Their support, and the voices of literally thousands of Vermonters like you has lead to an extraordinary few weeks of news and opinion coverage of this topic. It's been exciting seeing all these folks come together in support of the bill, and it's definitely making an impact on the legislators. We're hearing news that we're picking up more and more votes, but there's more work to be done (see below).


2) Democratic leaders did propose a compromise, but Douglas vetoed that too. As you may have read in the news, Senate Pro-Tem Peter Shumlin and House Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resource Committee Robert Dostis were planning to meet with Governor Douglas last week. The purpose of the meeting: to discuss the global warming bill and see if common ground or compromise could be found before the override vote on the 11th. But Douglas cancelled the meeting at the last minute, and Press Secretary Jason Gibbs made it clear that the Governor was not interested in any version of the bill. This sets up a tough scenario for the most talked-about version of a compromise: namely removing just the portion of the bill that makes Vermont Yankee pay the same property tax rate as wind farms (the bill would still contain about $17 million in funding from other sources, including a tax on wind farms).
To even vote on such a compromise, 3/4 of legislators would need to first support a procedural motion to 'suspend the rules' of the House. With the governor and special interests still opposing the bill -- even with the element they say most concerns them removed -- it's tough to envision coming up with the votes to pass such a compromise.


3) Which brings us to the bottom line: the vote to override the global warming veto is still on for July 11 and we need your help to win it. 3 things you can do to help in order of simplicity: Click here to email your Representatives and ask them to VOTE YES on the global warming override; Volunteer 2 hours to help call VPIRG members and ask them to support of the override by emailing drew@vpirg.org; Join us on July 11 at 9AM at the VT State House.


Thanks again for all you're doing, hope to see you soon.

Me or We?

Michael Moore’s stunning new documentary “SiCKO” premiers in theaters across the nation today. Already lauded at the Cannes film festival, Michael Moore’s new work details the ills of Americas failing health care system by drawing sharp contrasts between our system and that of our global neighbors.

Luckily, our own Savoy Theater here in Montpelier was one of the 400 theaters across the nation to receive the film in its first week. To celebrate the release of the film and to highlight the ongoing issues with Vermont’s health system Vermont Health Care for All, Vermont Workers Center, and VPIRG got together to buy up to 1000 tickets for uninsured Vermonters. The program was officially announced at a press conference before a special showing of the movie this morning where it was also announced that we had already been able to acquire more than 600 of those tickets away.

Quick side note: Props to Stefanie Sidrotsova, our new health care advocate, for an excellent first press conference.

I could go on and on about how the movie shines a light on what’s wrong with our health care system or the thousands of personal tragedies that happen every day because of these failures. But the film brings up a deeper truth:

Is this a society of Me or We?

In other words are we a society that purely cares about our own personal affairs to the detriment of our neighbors or are we a society that can pull together and care for the least of us the same way we do for those who have the most?

It could be said that the last time America was truly a “We” country was in the 1930’s and ‘40’s when we clawed our way out of the depression and then went on to win the most titanic struggle between good and evil this world has ever seen. Then, by the 1980’s our sense of “We” was buried under the mantra “greed is good.”

Or, one could say that America hasn’t lost all of its community mindedness. The brave souls from around the country who flocked to lower Manhattan one cloudless day in September are just one reminder that we still have it in us to do true good for the community. If only we could all come together for some higher purpose, like providing health care to all Americans, and not just in times of great tragedy.

Its the (w)right thing to do...

Last night the intrepid activists of Burlington Step it Up joined forces with VPIRG to get the word out to the last remaining Legislator in Burlington who is against overriding Gov. Douglas’ veto of the global warming bill.

His name?

Kurt Wright.

His phone number? (if you’d like to give him a call and ask him to do the ehemm… Wright thing)

658-1410

I must say, despite there being only seven of us it was a great event! We had lots of public interest in the form of honks, waves, shouts of support, and people stopping by. But an event like this is about more than just asking one legislator to do the right thing. It’s about keeping the conversation going.

Win or loose on July 11^th the most important thing is that all of keep going, keep struggling, and keep seeking the right answers to global climate change. In other words, no matter the cost, the derisive comments by blind bureaucrats (or governors…), or legislative mishaps the issue remains: Climate Change is real, it is happening, and we can do something about. The people who joined me last night in the new north end see that, as do many of you. Getting out and acting out is more than just our duty as citizens who care about our climate and future, it’s simply the right thing to do.

Oh, and by the way thanks to Peter Freyne for stopping by, snapping some shots, and getting some great quotes for his blog! Check out his blog post about us here. Oh yeah, and thanks again Peter for letting me use the photo.

Say Hello to our New Health Care Advocate and Michael Moore!

Hello out there – my name is Stefanie Sidortsova and I’m the new health care advocate at VPIRG. I’m very excited to be part of the group, and pleased to be involved in the Vermont premiere of Michael Moore’s latest film, SiCKO.

In case you haven’t heard, SiCKO is Moore’s take on America’s health care crisis and the current inner workings (for lack of a better term) of our health care industry. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and has since played to packed houses at sneak previews across the U.S. Many are saying this is Moore’s best film to date – even Fox News called it “brilliant and uplifting.”

Because we at VPIRG are working to obtain quality, affordable health care for all Vermonters, we’re hoping this film serves as a catalyst to move health care reform back to the top of Vermont’s priority list. We’ve made great strides in the past, but there’s still a long way to go.

So what do we want you to do? First, go see the film. Second, tell all your friends to go see the film. Third, and most importantly, help us reach our goal of providing 1,000 free tickets to un- and underinsured Vermonters. We’ve partnered with Vermont Health Care for All and the Vermont Workers Center to provide up to 1,000 free tickets to matinee showings of SiCKO at the Savoy Theater from June 29th to July 19th. These tickets are available to anyone struggling to pay their health care bills.

To find out how you can help, email me at stefanie@vpirg.org or call 223-8421, ext. 4097. Are you uninsured or underinsured? Please stop by the VPIRG office at 141 Main Street in Montpelier to pick up a ticket. Free tickets are also available at the Montpelier Health Center, the Peoples Clinic in Barre, Cambridge Family Health Center, Plainfield Health Center, the Barre Health Center, and the Central Vermont Community Action Council.

Thanks, and see you at the movies!

Waiting for the Axe

It's been almost a month since the legisalture took a bold step forward on energy and global warming. After months of work, thousands of calls, hundreds of emails, 71 Step It Up events and innumerable local conversations, the Vermont legislature passed H.520 a comprehensive global warming bill. (In case you missed it, read our play-by-play posts from the floor)

The final bill has many parts, but accomplishes three main goals:

1. Invests in renewable energy by requiring Vermont utilities to supply 25% of our power from clean local sources by 2012;
2. Makes it easier for businesses and individuals to invest in small renewable energy projects;
3. Improves efficiency by tightening building codes and expanding the mandate and funding of Efficiency Vermont so they can help us use less heating oil as well as electricity.

All this is paid for by making Vermont Yankee pay the same property tax rate as wind farms will pay (VYcurrently pays less than 1/3rd as much).

And that’s where the controversy lies: Governor Douglas is opposed to the bill because it taxes Yankee. His opposition, combined with a massive PR and lobbying campaign by Vermont Yankee (remember the ad wars?) made the fight to pass the bill though our House a huge challenge. In the end we got 85 representatives to vote in favor.

But now the Governor is about to veto the bill. It’s outrageous, but he’s sticking up for the profit margins of Entergy instead of for a bill that will make Vermont more affordable, create jobs, and fight global warming.

But there’s good news: the legislature will reconvene on July 11th to override the governor’s veto. (click here to learn more) We have this one chance to get 2/3 of our legislature to do the right thing. If we win, Vermont will be the first state in the nation to stand up to the oil industry, the nuclear industry, and the big utilities and get serious about an economy driven by renewable and energy independence.

VPIRG & Partners Receive $150,000 to Implement Catamount

The Vermont Campaign for Citizens Health Education Fund and VPIREF (The 501 c3 arm of VPIRG) announced this morning that they were awarded two grants. The first, $100,000 from The Public Welfare Foundation enables the Campaign to hire and train canvassers who will go to villages and towns across the state in order to educate and inform people on how to enroll in Catamount Health and other state programs. The second, $50,000 awarded to VPIREF from The Nathan Cummings Foundation is to further work on implementation and outreach efforts for Catamount while looking towards a future of expansion. $10,000 of this award has been given to the Vermont Campaign for Citizens Health Education Fund in order to assist with the hiring and training of canvassers.

These two grants open the door for VCHCSEF and VPIREF to expand their work on ensuring a healthy and affordable future for all Vermonters. Paul Burns, our executive director here at VPIREF stated, “This grant offers critical support that will allow us to watchdog the implementation of this new program and work to expand its benefits to more Vermonters in need.”

The VCHCSEF Team was joined this morning at a press conference announcing these to grants by Susan Besio, Director of Health Care Reform and Implementation for the state, and Representative Steve Maier of Middlebury chair of the House Health & Welfare Committee and Co-Chair of the Commission on Health Care Reform. Both were very generous in their praise for the work the Campaign has been doing and stated their high hopes for continued partnership, commitment, and success.

For ya'lls info: The Nathan Cummings Foundation is a nationally recognized philanthropic organization devoted to social justice issues. The Public Welfare Foundation “pursues a strategy of "service, advocacy, and empowerment" for meeting basic human needs and promoting democratic participation for people around the globe.”

--Sean Sarah, Field Associate

GLOBAL WARMING BILL PASSES

final vote by my count is 86 in favor, 60 opposed, 3 absent.

Thanks to all for hard work to get this bill done, the strong margin is a reflection of all the work Vermonters have done to demand action on global warming.

Huzzah!

Bid for a Better World and help support VPIRG!

Are you bored by EBay? Frustrated that Yard Sale Season has not quite arrived?? Feeling guilty when you spend money on commercial online auction sites??? Have we got a great deal for you!

VPIRG is partnering with the State Environmental Leadership Program (SELP) to create “Bid for a Better World” -- an online auction of great items with all net proceeds supporting the work of VPIRG and other similar environmental and public interest organizations across the country.



The auction items run the gamut from a year’s supply of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream (currently the hottest item in the auction!) to spectacular vacations in Idaho, Montana, North Carolina and Vermont, outdoor gear, and regional specialties such as a raspberry gift package from North Dakota, and a beautiful recycled glass wind chime from Alabama. More items are being added regularly so it pays to keep visiting the auction site (it’s also a good way to keep an eye on your bids.)

Yes Virginia, there is truly something for everyone and it all supports great organizations – like VPIRG.

Happy bidding!

Andrea Stander
VPIRG Development Team

Global Warming bill passes Senate

Many of you have joined us this year in advocating for legislation that addresses global warming. VPIRG members packed town halls and church basements at the start of the session, called and emailed Senators and House reps literally thousands of times, and marched in Step It Up Rallies demanding action, not just talk, to avert climate disaster.

Now, after months of action your work is finally paying off: Yesterday the Senate voted to pass H.520, the omnibus energy and climate act (more info below) by a razor thin margin. I was there for the last minute wrangling before key procedural votes Tuesday and Wednesday and can attest to the reports that virtually every corporate lobbyist in the State House is working to kill the bill, which is the only legislation still moving that will help stop global warming.

On Tuesday, Entergy and the Governor fought hard all morning to line up votes to kill the bill. They very nearly succeeded. A morning vote was postponed, and VPIRG staff worked the phones to get calls in to wavering Senators form our members in their districts. By 3:30, we knew we were making progress, but also that the vote was very close. By 7:00 that night, after several hours of debate the Senate voted by the thinnest of margins: 15-14 to keep the bills funding intact and later sent it to a third and final reading.

We thought we were out of the woods, and sent an email alert to our members encouraging them to contact their House representatives, where a close vote is expected soon once a conference committee works through a few remaining details.

But Sen. Racine of Chittenden County considered introducing another amendment to cut H.520’s funding by 95%. So VPIRG was back on the phone Wednesday morning too, calling a handful of members in Chittenden, Franklin and Windsor counties to ask them to contact your Senators in the moments before they took the floor to vote. It was a tense and fast-paced morning, but our work paid off a second time: Sen. Racine withdrew his amendment. And when a similar Sen. Mullin of Rutland offered a similar amendment, many of the same Senators members had called voted correctly, and kept the funding for S.94 intact.

All eyes are now turning to the House, where our opponents will spare no expense following their loss in the Senate. Your voice is needed! A close vote is expected as early as next week. It is essential that every member of the House hear from constituents that global warming is a must-pass issue this session.

You can help by contacting your House Representative(s) through the Sargent at Arms office 802-828-2228, or VPIRG’s website. We also need help calling lists of VPIRG members across the state, only about 10% of our members are on our email list, and we need to reach more of you than ever before on this important bill. Contact me at 223-8421 x4787 or drew@vpirg.org if you’re interested in volunteering one or more hours in the next 10 days to help pass the most aggressive climate legislation in the country.

Yours in action,
Drew Hudson
VPIRG Director of Field and Communications.

More info
• Allows Efficiency Vermont to help Vermonters save money and stop global warming by using less heating fuel as well as electricity;
• Funds the expanded Efficiency Vermont with a tax on Vermont Yankee’s windfall profits;
• Requires that our utilities purchase 20-25% of our electricity from renewable generators by 2012;
• Helps Vermonter’s install small wind, solar and other renewables to lower their electric bills and Vermont’s global warming emissions;
• Supports the development of wind farms in Vermont by guaranteeing them a fair tax rate;
• Gives incentives for individuals and businesses to develop larger solar power systems;
• And more…

Community Gathers To Ask Legislature For Quality Affordable Health Care.

Last night nearly one hundred interested and passionate community members gathered at the State House to testify in front of a joint committee on Health Care to ask them to expand access to Catamount Health and give more Vermonters the opportunity to afford quality comprehensive health care.

The citizens who came to testify were passionate and committed to expanding access to quality and affordable health care. One of the most touching pieces of testimony came from a small business owner who was literally paying all of her profits, more than $11,000 last year, into health care. She spoke passionately about the need for a hand up not a hand out.

This “hand up” could be created by expanding Catamount Health to the more than 17,000 small businesses that employ nearly 60,000 Vermonters. Allowing small businesses to buy into Catamount at a fair rate would provide the economic stability needed to let these businesses flourish all while saving tax payers and businesses nearly 2.8 billion dollars over the next 10 years.

I must say, we are truly lucky to live in a state where the Legislature is so open and accessible to the people who put them there. Thank you to everyone who came out and spoke eloquently on the need to ensure all Vermonters have access to quality, affordable and comprehensive health care.

-- Sean Sarah

Stepin' it Up with VPIRG

It was a fantastic day, despite the cold and damp weather in the morning, thousands of Vermonters turned out to more than 70 events all over the state demanding that our leaders step it up by cutting carbon 80% by 2050. VPIRG staff heard reports from dozens of events, and directly participated in two: Montpelier and Burlington.

In Montpelier hundreds of central-Vermonters marched from Morse Farm to the statehouse. Burr Morse, a one of a kind 7th generation sugarer lead off our event at the farm by discussing the local impacts of global warming. Joined by Onion River Sports owner Andrew Brewer and local High School Student Colin Arisman, Burr sent a message that was carried loud and clear on WCAX: We can’t afford any more inaction on global warming, our environment and our economy depend on us finding an answer to this problem -- and soon.

After Burr, Andrew and Colin spoke about the bad news, VPIRG’s own Andrea Stander lead the march down the hill to the statehouse. We met up along the way with Senator Bernie Sanders and VT-Senate President Peter Shumlin. We arrived at the statehouse lawn in a roar of chants, music, and calls for action. Bernie took the stage first, happy to pledge continued support of his bill in the US Senate to cut carbon 80% by 2050. VPIRG’s Drew Hudson read a short statement from Congressman Welch, who is backing similar legislation in the House, but was in Iraq on the 14th and could not join us. Finally, Senator Shumlin took the stage and boldly signed a 3 part pledge to enact laws that will achieve the 80% cuts scientists tell us are necessary to stop global warming.

The crowd literally was literally screaming for Governor Douglas, who attended exactly zero step it up events, despite having only 2 ribbon cuttings on his schedule. No word yet on whether he plans to stick to his earlier promises to enact policies to cut global warming pollution, or if he will flip-flop and veto legislation under consideration this year. But you know VPIRG will be watching, and you can join our email network to get the news before it breaks!

~ Drew Hudson

Well, we couldn’t have asked for a better Step It Up event in Burlington. We started off the day early with an 11 am talk on how to influence you friends, family, and government into taking responsible action for climate change. Then the team broke up into 6 groups and spread through out the city.

The first three groups went tabling in and around downtown Burlington for 10% challenge and for the big rally that would happen later in the day. The fourth group built a traveling display out of some 150 2 liter bottles that showed how much co2 emission you put out traveling the one mile from UVM campus to Lake Champlain. The fifth group hit the North End and exchanged old inefficient light bulbs for newer more efficient CFL’s. The sixth and final group stayed at home base and got on with the process of setting up the event.

So finally, at 5pm, with the free ice cream stand from Ben & Jerry’s rockin’ and the place starting to fill up the event got underway. From Sen. Bernie Sanders, to Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss, to a myriad of State Rep’s, to musicians, poets, and even a talking dinosaur the 450 people who made up the congregation on the shores of Lake Champlain to ask Congress to cut Carbon Emissions 80% by 2050 was simply huge.

The group of women and men who put this event together had a monumental job and they did it well. Kudos to them and kudos to all of you who made it to Burlington or any one of the myriad of other Step It Up’s that went on around the state! Together, showing this type of solidarity we can do what it takes to make real change and reverse the damage being done to the climate right now.

~ Sean Sarah

Step It Up VT!

The time has come once again to put on your activism hats, get out there and show the world Vermont cares about Global Warming! That’s right, this Saturday April 14th at nearly 70 locations around the state and more than 1,300 locations around the nation people will be gathering for STEP IT UP.

Step It Up is the brain child of noted environmental advocate and author Bill Mckibben who is fighting to cut global warming pollution 80% by 2050. (Read his invitation here) To get this done he has moved away from the standard “million man/woman/zebra march” on the National Mall and instead brought the action, and the issue, to your home town. So this Saturday people will gather all over the nation in places that are important to their environment, their community, and their lives and have photos taken of the assembled group. All the photos will be sent with Mr. Mckibben to Congress to urge them to cut carbon by 80%.

Here in VT we’re adding a little local to the national call: VPIRG has helped organize events in Montpelier and Burlington that will feature Senator Bernie Sanders and local legislators. Surprisingly, as of right now, the governor does not plan to attend any Step It Up rallies.

VPIRG and allies have also created a pledge that asks local legislators to support policies capable of achieving the 80% by 2050 goals; and so far we have commitments from Senator Sanders, Congressman Welch, House Speaker Symington and Senate President Pro Tem Shumlin. Again, no word from the governor. In fact, he has not even returned phone calls to organizers about the pledge. One is left to wonder: If Governor Douglas is really committed to stopping global warming, why won’t he step it up on the 14th?

We hope you will join us at a local Step It Up rally and sign our petition calling on leaders to support 80% cuts in global warming pollution by 2050. You can find your local event at http://www.stepitup2007.org/ and sign the petition here. Brief agendas of the two SIU events that VPIRG is helping to organize are below.

INFO:
Montpelier: April 14th 2007

• 12 Noon at Morse Family Farm: Come for the free Maple Creemees and stay for the action!
• 1pm speeches by those affected by Global Warming
• 2pm a march to the State House
• 3pm State House Lawn
  ~ Senator Bernie Sanders
  ~ Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin
• 3:30 Group Picture
  

More info online

Burlington: April 14th 2007

• 12 Noon under the canopy at Main Street Landing: A discussion on climate change policy, and what you can do at home, followed by service projects around the city!
• 5pm in the parking lot next to the ECHO Center on the corners of Lake and College St.: Speeches by Senator Bernie Sanders, Mayor of Burlington Bob Kiss, and State Representatives Rachel Weston and Dave Zuckerman
  ~ Free Ice Cream From Ben & Jerry’s
  ~ Climo-Dino, a fun way for the whole family to explore climate change!
  ~ Free bands, poetry readings, informational tables and much more!
  ~ Hand stamp will get you discounts at many local restaurants and retailers including Muddy Waters, Nectars, Ben & Jerry’s, and many more!
• 5:30 Group Picture
  

More info online

SHOW UP and STEP IT UP!

-Sean Sarah and Drew Hudson

Governor’s Plan to De-fund Health Care Bad for Everyone

Some of you may be paying attention to all the media coverage the budget process is getting this year. There’s one budget issue that deserves close attention from anyone who cares about making quality affordable health care available to all Vermonters: Governor Douglas’ cuts to the Catamount Health budget.

For those of you who aren’t following health care policy as closely, Catamount Health is a program that will provide quality affordable health care to Vermonters who make between $30,000 and $60,000 for a family of four. The premiums, co-pays and deductibles (the amount you have to pay) are going to be inexpensive and enrollment is supposed to begin in July.

Now, to implement a plan like this takes smart people and a considerable chunk of money. In this case, $180 million dollars between 2007 and 2010. This money pays doctors, keeps track of enrollees, and markets the program so eligible Vermonters know how to sign up. Most of this money is coming from a $365 per employee assessment paid by businesses that don’t provide insurance for their employees and from an additional 60 cent tax on cigarettes (sorry smokers, somebody’s got to foot the bill, and heck, think of it as an investment in your future!).

What’s great about Catamount is that, if fully funded, it actually pays money back to the state. That’s right; it’s a government program that runs in the black. Why? Because when every Vermonter has health insurance, people stay well longer, pay their fair share when they are sick and create less burden there is on the state and health care providers to care for them in long term. Of course all of those savings and all of those healthy people can only be realized if Catamount is fully funded.

Now here is the rub: Governor Douglas is seeking to cut nearly $19 million dollars out of the Catamount budget. This is more than 10% of the budget, and appears to go back on a myriad of promises he made during the last legislative session and his re-election campaign. Most concerning, these budget cuts will end up costing Vermonters nearly $10 million additional dollars. That’s right, the Governor’s budget takes a money-making program that delivers health insurance to tens of thousands of dollars and puts it in the red; a move that could deny health coverage for 4,100 Vermonters.

Where does the money go? One of the biggest line items in the Governor’s catamount budget is a doubling of “Private Market Investments.” This program is little more than a subsidy for insurance companies whereby taxpayers ‘invest’ millions in private (and profitable) insurance companies in exchange for their commitment to insure Vermonters who are self-employed or otherwise have trouble finding private insurance they can afford. The trouble is, there’s no guarantee the insurance companies will follow through and no way for the legislature or governor to hold them accountable to their goals! It’s a give-away of public dollars and the Governor’s Catamount budget DOUBLES it at the expense of real health care reform.

But the budget passed by the House on Friday would put a stop to all by putting the money back where it belongs. This is why we’re asking you to help us take action and ask the Governor to support the House’s Catamount Health budget. You can do so by clicking here.

- Sean Sarah

Vermont Maple Farmers Make National Headlines

As many of you may recall, last year, VPIRG teamed up with Burr Morse of the Morse Family Farm in Montpelier to have Burr testify in the State Legislature about how global warming was threatening his livelihood and the strong Vermont tradition of maple sugaring. Well, Burr's story helped convince legislators last year and his story is now hitting the national news airwaves.

Last night on NBC Nightly News, Burr and his family were featured in a news segment on global warming to the devastating impact it's having on Vermont's family farms. Cheers to Burr for continuing to tell his story and put a human face on the impacts of global warming.

Watch the video clip here.

Town Meeting Day Success!

Even in the frigid chill of deep winter citizen activists strive to bring positive change to Vermont. This last Tuesday was of course Town Meeting Day, that hallowed Vermont tradition of local democracy at its best. Thousands of people around the state congregated in town halls, schools, and other public places to let their voice be heard. One of the issues not on the docket at any town meeting was House Bill 225 which seeks to transform more than 35% percent of Vermont’s dirty, dangerous, and expensive energy production to clean, safe, and affordable renewable energy.

We at VPIRG love Town Meeting Day because it represents so much of what is good about Vermont’s style of homegrown democracy. So, to honor that fine tradition the field activists of VPIRG and our allies at the Toxics Action Center and Citizens Awareness Network spent the day on a petition drive. We collected signatures at more than 20 sites around the state, including Burlington, Montpelier, up and down Bennington County, and Rutland just to name a few. Why, dear reader, did we stand outside polling places and survive the -30 degree wind chill to collect these signatures? Because H.225 is important. This is a bill that will finally put us on a path towards energy independence.

I must tell you, the day was a success! We collected more than 1,000 signatures in support of H.225. But what good are signatures that don’t get used? These signatures will be traveling around the state to meetings with legislators in order show to them how important this bill is to the future of Vermont. Citizens from across the state came together on Town Meeting Day to voice their support for a clean renewable energy future. Now, we have to bring the legislature together to support this bill. In order to achieve this goal we have been helping interested citizens from across the state set up meetings with their State Senators. So far, we’ve had three meetings with six senators and hope to have at least 3 to 5 more meetings in the next two weeks.

CAD a Success Despite the Snow

What a DAY!
Despite a record snowstorm on valentines day, about 20 Vermonters turned out for the 4th annual Citizen Action Day. We had some great meetings with House Speaker Symington, Sen Pres. Peter Shumlin, and many many other representatives and Senators who weren't snowed in. Thanks to local activist Carl Etnier for brining a cmaer and letting us post pictures.

For those of you who couldn't get out of the driveway on Thursday, we've posted all our training and briefing materials online so you can get the experience of having been there.

We're also asking everyone interested to make 2 quick phone calls: to your Representative supporting Clean Safe and Affordable power, and to your Senator supporting local studies on the impact of big-box retail.

Thanks again to all those who turned out and made calls. We're off next to petition gathering around Town Meeting Day and district meetings with Senators. - drew hudson

Big Crowds at our final kick offs, an incredible week of activism:

What a week for clean, safe and affordable power in Vermont!

Monday night saw a gathering of 50 in Brattleboro. Members of CAN, Nuclear Free Vermont and VPIRG turned out for a kick off meeting on how to shut down Vermont Yankee and replace it with clean local power. Not only was attendance high, but folks got right into action: volunteering to call their elected representatives and tell them to support H.127 and it’s call for 80% clean power by 2018. You can make that call too through our online action center here.

We spent Tuesday night calling VPIRG members to invite them to Citizen Action Day, so many volunteers turned out that we ran out of phones here at VPIRG HQ and had to borrow one from our neighbors. Thanks to all who showed up to call, including our newest VPIRG employee Natalia Fajardo (say hi and welcome here). Great turnout lead to great results again and we are now at more than 150 RSVPs for the day and counting. Keep ‘em coming though, we won’t be happy until citizens outnumber legislators next Thursday. If you haven’t yet, consider taking a day off work to defend our environment, more info at http://www.vtactionday.org/.

Wednesday was more calling and a kick off event with the Sierra Club. VPIRG Energy Advocate James Moore packed the basement of the Norwich public library, where folks phoned in to Speaker Gaye Symington, House Natural Resources Chair Robert Dostis and more local legislators from the upper valley.

Finally, Thursday night was our cap-stone event in Burlington with Mayor Bob Kiss. A great big THANK YOU to the more than 100 Burlingtonians that packed city hall and joined our fight to stop global warming by investing in clean, safe and affordable power. Channel 3 (WCAX) and Channel 5 (WPTZ) sent camera crews to the event as well. If you missed the meeting, don’t get mad, get organized: join VPIRG’s email list and stay in touch about actions coming up in your area on global warming, health care and more….