Legislative Updates: In Brief
The end of the legislative session is always lively. While things are changing by the minute, here’s a snapshot of where things stand with the public interest bills on the eve of the session’s close.
Campaign Finance Bill Buried
The Senate voted 19-9 to delay consideration of the campaign finance reform bill (S.20) for another year. The bill would have reestablished common sense limits on campaign contributions and required more disclosure from candidates (including the occupation and employer of their larger donors).
Bill Passed! Now Easier to Power with Renewables
Vermont leaders took another step in the right direction toward our clean energy future. The Vermont House unanimously passed a bill (H.475) that improves the State’s net metering program and makes it even easier for Vermonters to power their homes and businesses with renewable energy.
VPIRG launches ‘Clean Heat’ campaign
VPIRG is talking to Vermonters from every corner of the state this summer to help make a clean, affordable heating future a reality. Keeping our homes comfortable in the winter costs over a billion dollars a year and nearly $800 million of that goes right out of the state to pay for dirty fossil fuels. Making Vermont’s comfortable, affordable heating future a reality wouldn’t only save money – it’s what’s right for our economy and the environment.
Anti-Wind Amendment Defeated
Late in the evening on Thursday April 26th the Senate debated and ultimately defeated one of the most anti-environmental pieces of legislation that’s been proposed all year. Despite strong evidence that an overwhelming majority of Vermonters support clean energy development, and wind power as a vital piece, a group of Senators tried to insert a …
Pulling the Curtain Back on Health Insurers
The health insurance fog is about to lift. S.200, VPIRG’s signature health reform initiative this year, sailed through the Senate and got even stronger in the House. The bill would force health insurance companies to pull the curtain back on claims denial, profit, and influence. Information is power and S.200 is key to ensuring that …
Health Care Justice Prevails in Montpelier
Vermonters won two big health care victories in the State House this week. The big health reform bill (H.559) passed the Senate by a vote of 20-7. The bill lays the groundwork for Vermont’s health insurance exchange, a requirement of the federal Health Care Law, and moves us one step closer to a health care …
Now Available: Video from Fracking Forum
On March 28, 2012, over 250 local activists, community members, and legislators filled the ballroom at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier to join a discussion on the implications of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” for natural gas in Vermont. VPIRG co-hosted a public forum alongside VNRC, and 350.org bringing International, and local experts to tell their …
Senate Votes 22-7 to Kill Expanded Bottle Bill
Statement of VPIRG Executive Director Paul Burns on Senate’s 22-7 Vote to Kill Expanded Bottle Bill Friday, April 20, 2012 — Just as people around Vermont and across the country are marking the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, Vermont state senators have voted to kill a proposal to expand Vermont’s most successful recycling law — …
Clean Energy Bill passes Senate Natural Resources
The Clean Energy Bill, H.468, just passed out of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. If enacted, it would require Vermont utilities to provide Vermonters with 35% renewable energy by 2032, and guarantee that at least 100 MW of that energy would come from local, community scale resources through an expansion of Vermont’s groundbreaking …
Clean Energy Bill passes Senate Natural Resources Read More »