As flood waters recede and Vermonters begin to rebuild, two things are becoming clear. Disasters like these are extraordinarily expensive. The costs to repair damage to homes and infrastructure will be astronomical, not to mention the destruction of priceless memories, heirlooms, and lives. And second, this was not a fluke. Not too long ago, storms …
The Climate Crisis is Here – And Big Oil Must Pay for it. Read More »
We are officially halfway through the 2023 legislative session, with both legislative and money crossover dates in the rear-view mirror. Our VPIRG team has been hard at work over the past few months pushing for common sense policies, from Bottle Bill modernization to ranked choice voting, and we’ve made great progress, thanks in large part …
The 2023 legislative session is well underway with an unprecedented slate of new legislators in the State House, and a clear commitment from legislators and legislative leadership in both the House and Senate that climate action is a top priority. After a frustrating failure to override a veto by a single vote in the House …
The Vermont state Senate gave its final approval today to legislation that would update and substantially expand the scope of the state’s beverage redemption program, commonly known as the Bottle Bill. The vote in favor of H.175 was 17-13 and the bill now must return to the House for possible concurrence before it can go …
Senate Backs Legislation to Modernize Bottle Bill Read More »
S.148, the environmental justice bill, is headed to the governor’s desk! After initially passing out of the State Senate in late March, the Senate has now concurred with the version of the bill passed resoundingly by the House just days ago. This legislative victory puts Vermont on track to enact its first environmental justice law, …
Recently, VPIRG’s own Ben Edgerly Walsh moderated the latest entry in the Climate Action Works webinar series, What You Need to Know About the Climate Action Plan. Ben was joined by officially appointed Vermont Climate Council members, who shared the latest updates about the work being done in each of the subcommittees to develop the …
Webinar: What You Need to Know About the Climate Action Plan Read More »
For the second straight year, it was a summer unlike any other at VPIRG. Last week we wrapped up our first-ever “hybrid” canvass, one year after running our first ever 100% virtual canvass. Once again, we faced the many challenges of operating a grassroots community engagement effort in the middle of a pandemic. Like last summer, …
Later this week the U.S. Census Bureau will release detailed data on Vermont’s current population, and with that information, the once-in-a-decade effort to redraw the state’s legislative district boundaries will really begin. Since the district maps will influence Vermont’s elections, politicians, and policies for the next 10 years, we believe it’s essential to get the …
Legislative Reapportionment: the Survey Results are in! Read More »
