Recently, after weeks of heated testimony the House Energy and Technology Committee approved a new “clean heat standard” program on a 7-2 vote. This bill, H.715, is the most consequential piece of climate legislation being debated in Vermont this session. Heating accounts for over 30% of Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions, and reforms in this sector …
Compared to America as a whole, Vermonters are substantially more concerned about climate change, yet only a small percentage are currently taking political action to address the issue. Those are the findings of a new poll conducted by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) and FM3 Research, and the basis of a new climate …
VPIRG organized 32 groups — including organizations working to end poverty, promote racial and social justice, protect our environment, and make our communities more vibrant — to submit a letter to members of the Vermont State Senate supporting S.148, an act relating to environmental justice. The letter outlines some background on environmental justice work in …
Updated 2/25/2022 below In October, I told you about an attempt by Vermont’s largest single consumer of energy to skirt climate and clean energy requirements. Chipmaker GlobalFoundries petitioned the state to become a “self-managed utility,” declaring it should be exempt from the state’s renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. This was an outrageous request for special …
PUC Rejects GlobalFoundries Request for Special Treatment Read More »
Missed the TIA webinar? Check out the recording below, and don\’t forget to sign the \”Thank You\” petition, thanking the 60 cosponsors of the Transportation Innovation Act (H.552)!
Legislation aimed at giving voters more choices and a stronger voice in elections received a big boost today with the launch of a significant advertising campaign featuring some high-profile legislative leaders. Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint (D-Windham), joined Senators Chris Pearson (P/D- Chittenden), and Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D-Chittenden) appearing in the ad, supporting ranked …
New ad campaign gives Ranked Choice Voting a big boost Read More »
In August of 2020, VPIRG endorsed a 10-point plan for reimagining policing in Vermont. The first point in that plan is ending qualified immunity – a judicial doctrine that acts as a shield for public officials, like police officers, when they violate someone’s civil rights. In the weeks leading up to this year\’s legislative …
Every Vermonter deserves access to a healthy environment that can help provide for a fulfilling life – whether that\’s in the form of clean affordable energy, clean air and water, access to 21st century transportation and healthy food options, a comfortable home, or just the great outdoors. And no segment of the population should, because …
The 2022 legislative session has begun, and our staff at VPIRG are back to doing what they do best: fighting for the public interest. 2021 marked a year of many victories including universal vote-by-mail, major investments in climate solutions and broadband, the nation’s strongest ban on PFAS chemicals in consumer products and so much more. …
Vermont is on track to become the first state in the nation to ban the sale of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) after the lighting industry conceded to state officials that better, mercury-free alternatives are now widely available. Attention now turns to the wide variety of other mercury-containing fluorescent lighting still being sold for residential and …
