In a letter to the Vermont House Appropriations Committee, VPIRG and 18 organizational allies of diverse backgrounds identified their priorities for the Fiscal Year 2022 budget, which is currently being considered in the legislature. Our aim is to encourage our state to prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable Vermonters – including BIPOC Vermonters and …
VPIRG and Coalition Partners Announce Joint Budget Priorities Read More »
Vermont’s Bottle Bill is responsible for recycling approximately 10 BILLION beverage containers since it was passed in 1972. That’s incredible! It’s true, the Bottle Bill has been Vermont’s most effective recycling law for generations. Since it took effect in 1973, it has: Reduced roadside litter, saving an estimated $34 million in litter cleanup costs, Produced …
Legislators Consider Expanding VT’s Bottle Bill – Take Action! Read More »
We’re one month into the 2021 legislative session, and already have lots of exciting updates to share with you on our various public interest priorities! Democracy Making Universal Mail-In Ballots Permanent: VPIRG has been building on the success of our 2020 “Vote Safe Vermont” campaign to grow and strengthen a diverse coalition of vote by-mail-supporters. …
If 2021 looked like years past, our team of advocates would be trudging up to the State House right now, prepped with policy memos and 30-second-pitches, maybe even through a foot of snow, as we did in 2019. The good news is we won’t be ruining any dress pants this year (or wasting any paper!), …
The official rollout of the Transportation and Climate Initiative began last week, and already three states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island) have signed on. This cap and invest strategy would give participating states the ability to significantly lower carbon emissions from the transportation sector, and create a new revenue stream for Vermont and other states …
Climate Leaders Call for Equitable Transportation & Climate Initiative Read More »
Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions Act, passed in September, 2020, effectively requires that Vermont hit its climate pollution reduction targets. To do so, it established the Vermont Climate Council, which will work to create comprehensive and equitable solutions to both reduce our carbon footprint and ensure our communities are prepared for existing and potential consequences of …
No doubt it has been an unprecedented and extremely difficult eight months as the global community has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. But despite our efforts, the virus persists – in fact, here in Vermont, we are seeing more new cases on a daily basis than ever before. For in depth coverage, check out this …
With COVID Cases on the Rise, Gov Imposes New Restrictions Read More »
In April 2018, Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) sent Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) a Notice of Alleged Violation for dumping glass that Vermont residents and haulers had paid them to recycle. Records indicate that in 2017, huge quantities of glass that citizens put into bins and paid to be recycled were instead dumped in three different locations in Williston by Chittenden …
ANR to let CSWD off the hook for illegal glass dumping Read More »
Transportation accounts for nearly half of Vermont’s climate pollution. That’s because a lot of Vermonters travel long distances for work, and are often in older, low-MPG vehicles. One of the best strategies to reduce our carbon pollution from the transportation sector is to get Vermonters out of those vehicles, and into newer models that use …
H. 688, the Global Warming Solutions Act, which was vetoed just last week by Governor Phil Scott, will officially become law after the Governor’s veto was overridden in both the House and the Senate. These votes reaffirmed the legislature’s, and the Vermont peoples’, commitment to climate action, despite efforts to derail action on the part …
Legislature Overrides Veto; Enacts Global Warming Solutions Act! Read More »
