A message from VPIRG Trustee Diana González: I’m writing today as a VPIRG Trustee, a queer person, a parent, a spouse to a trans person, and a former Vermont legislator. As you may have seen, over the last week the Vermont GOP has been spewing misinformation about a piece of legislation – H.659 – that …
The State Senate just took a major step towards environmental justice (EJ) in Vermont. S.148, which would be the state’s first environmental justice law, passed Tuesday on an overwhelming, tri-partisan 28-1 vote. We at VPIRG have joined dozens of groups supporting this bill because we see it as an essential step to bring more communities …
VPIRG Applauds House for Passing Artificial Intelligence Bill, Urges Senate Action MONTPELIER, VT – Public interest advocates hailed the Vermont House for passing legislation (H.410) that would create a framework for the state to investigate, understand, and shape uses of artificial intelligence in Vermont more comprehensively. Lead sponsor of the legislation, Representative Brian Cina Chittenden …
The FY23 budget includes over $110 million in investments to cut climate pollution, with the significant majority of that funding going to programs aimed at helping low- and moderate-income Vermonters cut their energy bills and fully participate in the transition off of fossil fuels. The House has also already voted to support H.518, the municipal energy …
We’re halfway through the 2022 legislative session in Vermont, and though our work continues to look a little different due to the ongoing pandemic, we have made significant progress across the board on our legislative priorities. From the continuing fight for Bottle Bill modernization to advancing a landmark climate legislation, read on to see where …
This year VPIRG is celebrating its 50th anniversary. All year long we’ll be sharing special messages like this—from VPIRG staff, board, and members, past and present—reflecting on some of the major victories this incredible community has achieved together over the past five decades. Drew Hudson here. I served as VPIRG’s Field Director from 2003 to …
Yesterday, the Vermont House of Representatives advanced H.715, the Clean Heat Standard, with an incredibly strong vote of 96 to 44 on second reading. It will be voted on in the House one more time on Thursday before moving to the State Senate. The Clean Heat Standard – the single largest pollution-reduction plank of the …
Vermont House Advances Critical Climate Initiative: The Clean Heat Standard Read More »
Today, the Vermont House of Representatives gave final passage to legislation to ban sales of 4-foot linear fluorescent tubes starting January 1, 2024, a move that would cover about 90 percent of fluorescent tube installations. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration there. Read the full release below:
Today, the Vermont House Committee on Transportation unanimously passed the FY23 Transportation Bill with a suite of investments that are essential to meeting Vermont’s climate pollution reduction requirements. The transportation sector is Vermont’s most carbon-intensive sector, and we’re encouraged to see the committee make investments at the scale and scope required to do our part …
On the same day that Russia invaded Ukraine, the Vermont House Energy and Technology Committee voted to advance this year’s most consequential legislation to address climate change and move us off fossil fuels: The Clean Heat Standard (H.715). The implications of Russia’s unprovoked attack are hitting home – especially for Vermonters with lower incomes already …
