Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Middlebury students to host climate change conference



April 16, 2008

MIDDLEBURY ― College and high school students from across Vermont will come to Middlebury College starting Saturday for the Power Shift Vermont Youth Climate Conference.

Power Shift Vermont will focus on empowering and educating Vermont youth with the tools they need to take action on the climate crisis and find solutions. The conference includes a weekend of events followed by a trip to Montpelier on Monday to lobby lawmakers for strong legislation aimed at combating climate change.

Over the weekend students will also prepare to lobby legislators at the Statehouse in Montpelier with the help of Johanna Miller of the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) and James Moore of Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). On their trip to Montpelier, students will rally at the Statehouse at 10 a.m. in support of the Vermont Senate bill S.350, which cuts Vermont carbon emissions at least 75 percent by 2050. They will also advocate for the creation of a green jobs program in Vermont and encourage renewable energy and sustainability in all sectors, including heating and transportation. They will meet with lawmakers throughout the day to discuss these issues.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Report: Global Warming Pollution Drops in Vt




Montpelier, Vermont - March 26, 2008

A new report finds global warming pollution has dropped in Vermont and across New England.

Activists say it's a good sign. They credit lower transportation emissions and people using less heating fuel. It's a trend environmentalists want to see continued. They're asking the state to encourage more public transportation. And they want a voluntary pledge to decrease emissions 25-percent by 2012 made mandatory.

"This is the beginning potentially of a good trend but we're not going to continue to reduce our global warming pollution by hoping it is going to happen or by talking about it happening. We need action," says James Moore of VPIRG.

"Today's youth considers global warming to be the greatest challenge facing our generation-- global warming threatens the economy, environment and general quality of life in Vermont...

Read full piece

Labels: , , , ,

Friday, February 15, 2008

VT Edition Interview: Steve Wark, Bob Young & James Moore on Vermont's energy future




Friday February 15, 2008

Montpelier, VT-- What should be the key elements of Vermont's energy future? More reliance on renewable sources, a new contract with Hydro Quebec, a contract extension for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant or perhaps a new natural gas fired facility in Chittenden County? Those are some of the questions VPR's Bob Kinzel had for Steve Wark from the Public Service Department, Bob Young, president of the Central Vermont Public Service Corporation and James Moore, energy specialist at the Vermont Public Interest Research Group

Listen to interview here

Labels: , ,

Thursday, February 14, 2008

House passes new version of last year's energy bill






February 14, 2008

MONTPELIER – The Vermont House on Wednesday passed by a massive margin a new version of the energy bill shot down last year by Gov. James Douglas' veto.

But the Murphy's Law of legislating remained in place: If lawmakers make compromises to gain support on one side, they risk loosing the bill on the other.

So while the House version of the bill offered the Douglas administration some compromises compared to last year's measure, it may run into trouble when it heads back to the Senate, where those compromises might not be popular. And some renewable energy advocates were lukewarm in their support of the House version, at best.

(...)Advocates of wind power development said the bill, in fact, doesn't go far enough to encourage such alternative energy. The problem, they said, is the establishment of a minimum tax on wind projects based on their top potential capacity, whether they are running or not. If the turbines were running, the tax would be based on actual production.

That could especially be a problem for small and mid-sized projects of one or two turbines, such as might be put up by a town or village, said James Moore of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

"For that community, it could effectively triple their tax" if the turbines were not operating, Moore said.

The bill does not move far enough fast enough on implementing the new efficiency programs either, and gives too much say to the administration in how they are structured, Moore said.
More importantly, however, is the realization in the Statehouse that Vermonters want such a program, Moore said.

"Republicans, Democrats and Progressives all recognize that Vermonters want renewable energy and want help reducing their heating bills" he said.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Power suppliers hope to have contracts by end of year


Wednesday January 9, 2008

MONTPELIER, Vt.

(Host) As the Vermont Legislature sets an ambitious agenda on energy issues, many of the ultimate decisions on where our power comes from in the future will be made by Vermont's utilities. The state's two major power companies are negotiating new contracts with Hydro Quebec and Vermont Yankee. They hope to have both contracts signed by the end of the year.

(Dillon) A leading environmental group says it's irresponsible for Douglas not to plan ahead for Yankee's shutdown in 2012. James Moore is an energy specialist with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

(Moore) ``We've known for a long time that Vermont Yankee's license to operate ends in 2012. It's an old facility. It's 40 years old at that point.So the fact that the governor hasn't been planning for any kind of alternatives is disappointing, to say the least. And we're going to be looking to the legislature, and the governor, to step up, and start planning for the future that we know is around the corner.''

(Dillon) Moore and other environmentalists say the state can replace Vermont Yankee through investments in renewable energy, and energy efficiency. He says any short term gap can be filled by buying power in the market.

Read full story

Labels: , ,

Monday, January 7, 2008

Friction eases on energy legislation, but will it last?



January 7, 2008

MONTPELIER -- Rep. Robert Dostis sat down with Gov. Jim Douglas last month and talked about energy efficiency. Down the street, energy consultants hired by legislative leaders huddled with Douglas administration staff.

The significance? No such meetings of the mind were happening last legislative session as debate over creating an energy-efficiency program erupted into political warfare, reaching a crescendo in June with a gubernatorial veto. The Democratic-controlled Legislature and Republican governor could not agree on the scope of a program to make Vermont homes and businesses more energy efficient or how to pay for it.

Since the Legislature last met in July, the price of heating fuel has climbed. Meanwhile, in October, the Governor's Climate Change Commission listed expanding the state's electric efficiency program to all fuels as one of its top recommendations.

Some say those factors leave Douglas no choice but to accept the energy legislation. "His position has shifted," said Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. "He's willing to embrace the fundamental concept of an energy-efficiency utility."

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Friday, December 7, 2007

Extreme Downpours More Likely, Report Says


December 7, 2007
In April, hundreds of New Hampshire residents fled their homes as heavy rains swelled rivers across the southern part of the state, causing the kind of flooding forecasters say might be expected just once in a century.

For many, it was history repeating itself: Their homes had been swamped in a similar "hundred-year flood" less than 12 months before.

Now a study of historical records says storms producing the kind of extreme precipitation that caused those floods have become more common all over the country in the last 60 years — and nowhere more than in New England.

"We're already seeing what climate scientists say is going to happen if we continue to pump global warming pollution into the atmosphere," said James Moore of Vermont Public Interest Research Group, one of the Environment America state affiliates participating in the report.

Labels:

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

‘Extreme’ storms increase in state, report says




Wednesday, December 5, 2007

The old saying turns out to be truer every day: When it rains, it pours.

Vermont is experiencing more and more storms that drop “extreme” amounts of rain or snow, according to an analysis of 59 years of weather records by a national coalition of environmental groups.

“This is the kind of downpour that hurts farmers instead of helping them. It’s the kind of torrent that washes away carefully groomed ski hills,” said Bill McKibben, an author, climate crusader and scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College.

McKibben appeared at a news conference called by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group to release the report and urge faster action on curbing the carbon emissions blamed for global climate change.

Read full article
Read VPIRG report

Labels:

VPIRG says severe storms are caused by climate change


Wednesday December 5, 2007

Montpelier, VT

(Host) Vermont environmental activists say New England is experiencing more frequent bouts of severe weather - and that climate change is to blame. The report was released by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. It says that the number of storms with heavy rain or snow fall are now 61 percent more frequent than they were 60 years ago.

Read full story
Read VPIRG report

Labels:

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Report Says Intense Storms On The Rise








December 4, 2007

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- A new report from the Vermont Public Research Interest Group (VPIRG) says the number of intense storms hitting our region is rising. The report, titled "When It Rains, It Pours," found the number of extreme rain and snowstorms has risen by more than 50 percent in New York and Vermont over the last 60 years. It says the cause is global warming.

Read full story
Read VPIRG report

Labels:

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Vermont Gets Failing Grade on Climate Change



Burlington, Vermont - November 28, 2007

A new report released Wednesday gives Vermont poor grades when it comes to statewide efforts to combat global warming. The Climate Change Action Report Card looks at policies and action in New England states and Eastern Canadian provinces. Leaders of those areas signed on to a Climate Change Action Plan in 2001, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gasses.

When it comes to overall effort, the report gives Vermont a "C".

James Moore of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group says Vermont has seen a lot of rhetoric when it comes to combating global warming, but hardly any real action.

Read full story
Read VPIRG report

Labels:

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Governor's Strategy to Combat Climate Change







Burlington, Vermont - November 20, 2007

"I'm pleased to announce that the state will partner with the (University of Vermont) and other higher education institutions to form the Vermont Climate Collaborative," said Gov. Jim Douglas, R-Vermont.

Douglas says partnering with UVM and other colleges will spawn research into renewable energy sources, and help the state create an entire economic sector based on green jobs.

But many listening to the Governor's announcement criticize the plan for lacking solid, attainable goals.

James Moore of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group called the proposal nothing but "hot air."

"You have to earn those carbon credits and there was nothing today proposed that's actually going to allow the state to earn carbon credits," said Moore.

Read full article

Labels: ,

Gov. Douglas Plans to fight Climate Change








November 20, 2007

Gov. Douglas announced his plans regarding climate change.

Watch video

Labels: ,

Douglas's climate change proposal panned by environmentalists



Tuesday November 20, 2007

Colchester, VT (Host) Vermont absorbs so much carbon that Governor Douglas says we should sell "carbon credits." He says Vermont could make money by selling the credits to industries that pollute. But as VPR's Ross Sneyd reports, some environmental advocates say it's a vague response to climate change.

Read full piece

Labels: ,

Monday, November 5, 2007

Vermonters talk energy




November 5, 2007

BURLINGTON -- For legislators in Vermont, it's not so easy being green.

Vermont has the lowest carbon footprint and one of the most aggressive energy efficiency programs in the nation, and more than two-thirds of the state's electricity comes from contracts with the Entergy-owned Vermont Yankee nuclear plant and Hydro-Quebec in Canada. Those contracts are set to expire -- in 2012 and 2015, respectively -- leaving Vermont's energy future wide open for consideration.

Rep. Robert Dostis, D-Waterbury, chairman of the Natural Resources and Energy Committee and a member of the Joint Energy Committee, said legislation passed last year directed the Public Service Department to develop a public engagement process regarding Vermont's energy future, to encourage Vermonters to examine and make recommendations on ways to meet Vermont's electricity options over the next five to 10 years.

That's why more than 200 Vermonters gathered this weekend on the campus of the University of Vermont to participate in the state-sponsored Deliberative Polling Event on Vermont's Energy Future, the culmination of a series of workshops designed to educate the public about energy in Vermont. Combined, the studies constitute the largest energy sampling ever conducted in the United States, said Stephen Wark, consumer affairs director for the Public Service Department.

"Public policy here in Vermont does drive the marketplace," added James Moore, clean energy advocate for the nonprofit Vermont Public Interest Research Group. "And they're paying attention to what you all think."

Read full article

Labels: , , ,

Aging nuclear plant raises questions about life without it



November 4, 2007

MONTPELIER — A cooling tower that collapsed suddenly, leaving a pipe pouring thousands of gallons of water on a pile of rubble. An unplanned shutdown caused by a stuck valve nine days later. A scheduled retirement looming.

Taken together, the recent problems at Vermont Yankee nuclear plant have some wondering: Where would Vermont be without Vermont Yankee?

"For the average Vermonter, little to nothing would change," said James Moore, energy advocate with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. "It shuts down on a regular basis, both planned and unplanned outages, and our lights don't go out."

Moore and other Vermont Yankee critics point to this month's report from the Governor's Commission on Climate Change, which said that aggressive deployment of renewable generation could save almost as much in carbon emissions as Vermont Yankee does.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Car Pools Take Off



November 5, 2007

On any given weekday afternoon in Burlington’s Hill Section, a long line of motorists will edge, inch by inch, toward a parking lot exit. Most of those commuters are alone in their cars.

At the shift change at Fletcher Allen Health Care, a more lively procession parallels this paralysis: Dozens of carpoolers swoop through the drop-off and pick-up circle in an impromptu choreography.

Carpoolers share a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Their concerns are well-founded: A 2005 study by the Montpelier-based Vermont Public Interest Research and Education Fund calculated that the 8 percent of Vermont’s car commuters who travel more than 20 miles to work generate roughly a quarter of the state’s commuting-related carbon dioxide emissions.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Scores rally for action on climate change


November 5, 2007

MONTPELIER — Scores of people gathered on the Statehouse steps Saturday to push for local solutions to climate change caused by global warming and urged the Douglas administration to do more.

As a band played, people ate apple pie and ice cream, and some waved flags promoting what they say was the need to do more to stop global warming.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Friday, November 2, 2007

Sanders votes against global warming bill



November 2, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Bernie Sanders voted Thursday to oppose a sweeping global warming bill because he does not believe it is strong enough to prevent catastrophic climate change by the middle of this century.

"This bill is in fact a step forward, but we have a very long way to go to produce a bill that will truly reduce global warming and reflect what the scientific community tells us needs to be done," the independent senator said after the vote by a key Senate panel.

Sanders' vote to oppose the bill drew praise from the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

"Senators Lieberman and Warner deserve credit for pushing action on global warming, but Vermont's Senator Bernie Sanders deserves the highest praise for not supporting the bill, which does more to support corporate welfare than it does to reduce global warming pollution," the group said in a written statement Thursday.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Senate to Mother Earth: Sorry, Mom






Seven Days Blogs: Freyne Land
Thursday, November 01, 2007

Word from Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' office that the subcommittee Ol' Bernardo sits on on the Environment and Public Works Committee that handles global warming approved on a 4-3 vote today "a global warming bill that Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) opposed because it would not reduce emissions of greenhouse gases as much as scientists say is necessary to stop catastrophic changes in Earth’s climate.

As Paul Burns over at the Vermont Public Interest Research Group pointed out to yours truly, "Bernie actually proposed nine different amendments to strengthen the bill, one of which was accepted. Most of the others were defeated 5-2 or on a voice vote. It's really true that no one in the Senate (perhaps the US gov't) is doing more than Bernie Sanders to fight global warming."

Read full piece

Labels: , ,

Sanders votes against global warming bill



Thursday November 1, 2007
Colchester, VT

(Host) Senator Bernie Sanders has voted against a global warming bill - and environmental leaders are praising him.

Both the senator and the environmentalists say the bill doesn't go nearly far enough.

Sanders says the version that was approved by a subcommittee of the Senate's environmental panel would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by no more than 63% over the next 40 years.
He held out for legislation that would have reduced the heat-trapping emissions by 80% by 2050.

The Vermont Public Interest Research Group supports Sanders' position. James Moore is VPIRG's clean energy advocate. He says industry would get too much from the bill and consumers wouldn't get enough.

(Moore) "It's a half measure that gives too much money to existing fossil fuel industries like the oil companies and the coal companies, who are making record profits as is and certainly shouldn't be benefiting...

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Governor's panel lays out energy-efficiency road map


October 27, 2007

MONTPELIER -- The Governor's Commission on Climate Change called for increased energy efficiency, greater use of renewable energy, more public transit and a collaboration with the state's colleges to foster research and try to attract environmental jobs, among other items, as it issues its final report Friday.

James Moore, clean energy advocate for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group who served on the advisory group, said he was pleased to see the commission keep intact the advisory group's recommendations. "The question that remains is whether or not our governor will recognize the report or sweep it under the rug," Moore said.

Read full article

Labels: , , ,

Climate panel submits report



October 27, 2007

MONTPELIER — The commission charged with finding how the state should reduce its contribution to global climate change — and profit from concerns worldwide about the issue — released its final report Friday calling for more energy efficiency, renewable energy development and the creation of an alliance between the state, nonprofit groups and Vermont's colleges and universities.

The commission called in its report for the expansion of the efficiency efforts begun by the state's electrical efficiency program to other fuels, and for more renewable energy to be developed in the state.

That means commercial scale wind power, the cheapest way to develop such projects within Vermont's borders, said James Moore of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

"You have got to have wind in Vermont as part of our electricity future," said Moore, who added that the report "comes on the same day as oil prices hit a new record high and Vermonters are turning on their furnaces for the winter."

Read full article

Labels: , , ,

Vt. climate change group urges use of renewable energy




Governor's commission completes two-year climate change report






Saturday, October 27

MONTPELIER -- A governor's commission charged with making recommendations on how to curb greenhouse gas emissions recommended that the state expand energy efficiency programs, support renewable energy and team up with its colleges and universities to develop a "green economy" in Vermont.

Renewable energy advocate James Moore of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group called the report a "road map to support our economy and reduce global warming pollution at the same time." But he said his group would act as a watchdog to see if the governor takes the recommendations and actually acts on them.

He said the first recommendation is for an all-fuels utility that will help Vermonters reduce heating and electricity bill, which the governor vetoed in the last legislative session.

Read full article

Labels: , , ,

Friday, October 26, 2007

Commission on Climate Change releases detailed plan





Friday October 26, 2007
Montpelier, Vt.

(Host) After almost two years of work, the Governor's Commission on Climate Change has laid out a detailed plan for how Vermont can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% in five years.

The commission met today for the final time and handed its report to Governor Jim Douglas. The panel's recommendations range from expanding energy conservation programs to creating a center for climate change within state government.

James Moore is an energy specialist with the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. He says the technical data in the report shows that the most cost-effective way to cut greenhouse gas pollution is by reducing energy demand.

(Moore) "Where the rubber is going to meet the road is clearly if the governor is going to take the commission's recommendations to heart, he needs to change his tune, support more energy efficiency...

Read full article

Labels: , , ,

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Time for big (and small) thinking on global warming





October 18, 2007

By Drew Hudson, VPIRG director of field and communications

It's about the world our grandkids – and theirs – will inherit.

We face an enormous challenge: Our planet is heating up, and the effects will be devastating unless we take serious action. It is our responsibility to act now, while we still have the ability to avoid the worst effects of global warming, such as major increases in sea level that would displace millions of people worldwide and mass species extinctions.

This fall, for the first time in history, Congress is getting serious about global warming. The choice they make – whether to take the bold action we need or to try to pass off half-measures as progress – will have long-lasting effects.

Read full piece

Labels:

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Judge favors state over automakers



September 13, 2007

U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions delivered a stunning blow to auto manufacturing companies Wednesday, establishing the right of states to set their own standards for how much green house gas emissions cars could produce - and pushing Vermont again to the forefront in a national fight over who regulates such pollutants.

"Under the Bush administration on a range of environmental issues leadership has had to come from the states. Vermont and a number of other states have been willing to step up and exercise our authority" said Attorney General William Sorrell, whose office defended the state emissions standards.

James Moore, an advocate for the environmental group Vermont Public Interest Research Group, agreed.

"As our federal government has turned a blind eye to the climate crisis states like Vermont are forced to take the lead and today Judge Sessions has protected our right to do so," Moore said in a statement.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Wind Project Approved



August 8, 2007

UPC Wind plans to start building 16 towers next summer in Sheffield. They will each be around 420 feet tall and provide enough energy to serve over 15-thousand homes.

"We are really pleased that the Public Service Board has recognized the economic and environmental benefits of wind power to Vermonters," said Matt Kearns with UPC Wind.

The road to approval has been rocky and emotional. Opponents remain worried about noise, and the visual impacts.

"We've seen wind projects permitted in New Hampshire, Maine. Vermont is now catching up and getting on that band wagon. I think we will see more clean generation, more wind power come on lin here in Vermont over the next decade," said James Moore with the Vt. Public Interest Research Group.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Friday, July 27, 2007

VPIRG Targets Energy Bill Opponents





Essex Junction, Vermont - July 25, 2007

Vermont environmentalists are stepping up the pressure for expansion of energy efficiency programs. The legislature failed to over-ride the veto of Gov. Jim Douglas, R-Vermont, earlier this month. Now, advocates are targeting lawmakers who voted against the bill.

The Vermont Public Interest Research Group is hitting the streets with flyers in favor of the global warming legislation. James Moore, a VPIRG energy expert, told Channel 3, "The folks that voted against the energy will were really siding with special monied interests in Vermont and not the public interest."

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Veto override effort fails





July 12, 2007

MONTPELIER - The emotions and rhetoric in the Statehouse on Wednesday were as hot as the weather outside as the global warming bill that took up much of this year’s lawmaking session melted away to nothing.

The Democrat-controlled House was unable to override Gov. James Douglas’ veto of the bill and a compromise version sent over from the Senate a few hours later was dead on arrival.

. The Vermont Public Interest Research Group even arranged for a rotating group of volunteers - because of the heat - to wear a polar bear costume and roam the halls.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Political theater plays at Statehouse





July 12, 2007

MONTPELIER — It was too hot for the polar bear. By lunchtime, with temperatures near 80 degrees and high humidity, the woman inside the furry costume had to take it off.

That's just the point, said environmental advocates, who turned out en masse Wednesday at the Statehouse to lobby lawmakers to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of an energy bill.

"It's a preview of global warming," said Andrea Stander, a spokeswoman for Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

More than 300 people lined hallways, chambers and galleries to urge lawmakers to override the governor's veto of a bill aimed at reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions and offering residents help in conserving energy in their homes.

Read full article

Labels: ,

Special veto session to start in a stalemate





July 11, 2007

MONTPELIER – When lawmakers return to the Statehouse today for a one-day meeting they will be greeted by an energy activist in a polar bear costume — and by a decision about whether to make an energy efficiency bill into law over Gov. James Douglas' veto.

Both sides said Tuesday their opponents had failed to compromise enough to allow a new version of the measure to be crafted and made into law.

Meanwhile, advocates for the legislation, including AARP Vermont, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, continued to pressure for the passage of the bill despite the governor's veto. Advocates are said to have arranged for a volunteer wearing a polar bear costume to arrive at the Statehouse to highlight the impact of global warming pollution — including from heating fuel use — on the species.

Read full article

Labels: , , ,

Democrats Fail to Override the Governor's Vetoes







July 11, 2007

On a steamy summer day, hundreds of activists swarmed the statehouse, hoping to persuade lawmakers to override the Governor's veto of an energy bill.

"I'm excited about the turnout," said Carol Butterfield from Barre, "It's wonderful I wish there were 100,000 people here.

"The bill would set up a new program to help Vermonters use less heating oil, by giving them money to weatherize their homes. Supporters say using less oil, will help fight global warming.

The closely watched vote, turned out not to be that close at all. The 49 Republicans stuck together and 11 Democrats went against their leadership. Along with one independent, the vote was 86 - 61, far short of the 2/3 needed.

"Disappointing," said activist Natalia Fajardo from Montpelier, "We weren't sure what was going to happen. We had worked really hard to make this pass."

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Sanders, McKibben preach the gospel of climate change





July 9, 2007

MONTPELIER — With "Live Earth" over and a Statehouse vote on a climate change bill ahead, more than 250 people packed a high school cafeteria Sunday for a town meeting on global warming, with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and author Bill McKibben telling them the movement to curtail it is gaining ground but far from adequate.

"This has to become a movement as passionate and willing to sacrifice as the civil rights movement a generation ago," said McKibben, the Ripton writer whose 1989 book "The End of Nature" was among the first to sound the climate change alarm.

"It is the largest threat to our civilization that we've ever faced," he said.

Both were fresh in the minds of speakers at the meeting, where Vermont Public Interest Research Group passed out fliers urging people to lobby their lawmakers to vote to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of the bill, which would expand an existing program that helps homeowners conserve energy use and pay for it by imposing a new tax on the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Global warming rap





July 6, 2007

MONTPELIER – X10, the high school rappers who gave us the Web hit "802," have come out with their latest YouTube effort, dubbed "C02."

The new rap, which is filmed in a field in front of solar panels, stresses the problems of global warming and urges lawmakers to pass H.520, the Energy Bill.

"Instead of polluting use wind power," sing the trio. "Because not using oil makes big business sour." The rap also manages to rhyme in (mostly) topics such as methane and manure, the shortened ski season, efficiency, gasification and bike riding.

The video ends with a plug for VPIRG, which is also publicizing the video on its Web site.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Lawyers offer one last argument in emissions case




Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Adversaries wrapped up the first trial of California's greenhouse gas limits, filing final arguments over rules Vermont says would slow global warming -- and carmakers say would sweep pickup trucks and SUVs from car lots in 13 states.

The state of Vermont asked Judge William Sessions to uphold its adoption of California's rules...

Read full article

Labels:

Auto industry needs to be saved from itself




May 13, 2007
Editorial

The court case in which the auto industry is challenging Vermont's auto emission standards has unveiled the kind of Alice in Wonderland thinking that has decimated the industry in the United States.

The auto industry has challenged Vermont's decision to sign onto California's auto emission standards, which would force reductions in carbon dioxide emissions over the next decade. The absurdity of the industry's arguments was on full display in U.S. District Court in Burlington.

Read full article

Labels: , ,

Monday, June 25, 2007

News Coverage of VPIRG's Work

News coverage since May 2007 will be posted on this blog.

Click here to view archives of earlier news coverage. We've had such great media coverage this year on our work that we're a little backlogged (not a bad thing!). Remaining 2007 coverage will be posted as soon as we can.

Labels: , , , , ,