News & Updates
Key Committee Could Vote to Put More Money in Politics
April 30, 2013
Within the next 24 hours, a key House committee will vote on whether to give very wealthy individuals and corporations the right to pour even more money into Vermont elections. And at this moment, it looks like the vote will be bad – very bad.
Help us to get Big Money OUT of Politics in Vermont!
The Senate passed a bill (S.82) just a few weeks ago that set reasonable limits on contributions to candidates. We had hoped the House would do the right thing too. But this morning, things took a turn for the worse.…
Summer Kickoff!
April 28, 2013
This summer, VPIRG’s canvassers will be fanning out across Vermont to generate support for our campaign to label GMOs in Vermont. We’re aiming to knock on doors in EVERY town in the state to make sure Vermonters know about the presence, prevalence and potential dangers of the GMOs that are currently not labeled but present in nearly 75% of all packaged foods in the US.
Stay tuned for more information, events and actions you can take to help Vermont take action to protect consumers’ right to know about what’s in their food.…
NEWS RELEASE: Corporate Influence and Coke’s Win over the Public Good
April 19, 2013
Minutes after debate over corporate influence, Coca-Cola wins out over public good in Senate Finance Committee
MONTPELIER, VT—Just minutes after an extended floor debate about the possible influence of corporate contributions, the Senate Finance Committee opted against a publicly-supported proposal to have the state keep an estimated $1-3 million per year in unclaimed Bottle Bill nickels rather than allow the beverage industry to continue to pocket the cash, as it has been doing for decades.…
Vermont’s Energy Choices: Old Dirty Problems, Clean Energy Solutions
April 18, 2013
Doing our part for clean energy and the climate means more than changing a light bulb. Vermonters have choices to make.
• We could to ask others to generate most of our power for us, often relying on dirty energy sources like coal, oil, fracked gas or nuclear power.
• Or we could take responsibility for our energy future through conservation, efficiency and the development of local renewable energy resources like wind, solar, and small hydro power.…
Senate to vote on corporate cash and campaign finance
April 18, 2013
Corporations are not people. But for more than 100 years, federal law has prohibited corporations from contributing directly to candidates running for federal office.
Here in Vermont, though, the law treats corporations just like you or me. Your help could fix the problem, but we need to get moving fast. Ask your senator(s) to vote against continued corporate contributions here.
Last Friday, as part of a larger VPIRG-backed campaign finance bill (S.82), the state Senate voted the right way — they gave preliminary approval to a provision that would mirror the federal law and prevent corporations from taking money out of their general treasuries to give to candidates.…
Vermont Co-ops Unanimously Support GMO Labeling Legislation
April 16, 2013
Today, representatives from co-ops across the state of Vermont gathered at the Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier to announce their unified support for GMO labeling legislation currently under consideration in the State House. The co-ops are joined by 6,811 Vermonters and 175 farms and businesses from across the state who have signed on in support the VT Right to Know GMOs campaign.
“We feel that it is time to require GMO labeling in Vermont” stated Hunger Mountain Coop General Manager Kari Bradley.…
NEWS RELEASE: Vermont Land Use Review Applies to Keystone VT
April 16, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2013
Vermont Land Use Review Applies to Tar Sands Pipeline
MONTPELIER, VT April 15, 2013 Today a decision letter was issued finding that Vermont’s land use law – Act 250 – would apply to any attempt to pump dirty tar sands oil through a 63 year-old pipeline that runs through Vermont’ Northeast Kingdom through to Portland, ME. The ruling, issued by the Act 250 District Coordinator in St. Johnsbury, came in response to a request filed by six Northeast Kingdom residents and landowners, as well as several conservation groups.…
The GMO bill has been scheduled!
April 15, 2013
BREAKING NEWS!
House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Bill Lippert, notified the leaders of the VT Right to Know Coalition late Friday afternoon that the GMO Labeling Bill, H.112, will be introduced to his Committee on Thurs. April 18 at 8:30 AM. The Committee will begin its work on the bill by hearing from Legislative Counsel, Mike O’Grady who drafted the bill and Assistant Attorney General Bridget Asay regarding the legal issues of the bill.
After passing through the House Agriculture Committee with a 8-3 vote, H.112 stalled in the Judiciary committee for almost a month before representatives under pressure from their constituents scheduled the bill for a hearing.…
VPIRG celebrates a win for fair elections!
April 12, 2013
On Tuesday, we sent out an email blast asking our members to urge the Senate to seize their one opportunity to pass commonsense rules on money in politics. We’d caught wind that some state senators were playing political games with this important legislation, and we weren’t about to stand by and watch.
Guess what? Hundreds of member emails later on Friday afternoon, the political logjam blocking election reform finally broke! The Senate voted 24-3 in favor of the VPIRG-backed bill.…
Pulling Back the Curtain on Denied Claims
April 12, 2013
Last week, VPIRG Consumer Protection Advocate Falko Schilling presented the House Health Care Committee with one of the first comprehensive overviews of insurance claims denials in Vermont.
The information was gathered from new reporting required by VPIRG backed legislation passed by the legislature last year. The new law pulls back the curtain on insurance claim denials and shows consumers how much of their premium dollar is going to non-health related expenses such as lobbying and executive compensation.…
