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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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