The Vermont legislature has officially wrapped up its work for the session, and once again VPIRG’s research, member engagement, and advocacy efforts paid off. We were incredibly successful in this “virtual” session, going toe-to-toe against some of the most powerful corporate lobbyists in the state. We’re pleased to announce that…
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A top priority of ours for the 2021 legislative session was the Transportation Modernization Package in the Transportation Bill (H.433) – a host of policies that would save Vermonters millions of dollars while reducing climate pollution. Championed by a host of legislators, VPIRG’s amazing members, and our many allies, this…
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The Vermont legislature wrapped up its 2021 session Friday, and it was one for the history books. One big winner? Action on the climate crisis. We’ll be sharing a full recap of the legislative session soon, but first we wanted to share some highlights from the state budget. In the…
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GlobalFoundries, the largest electricity user in Vermont, recently filed for permission from the Public Utility Commission to become a “self-managed utility,” cutting off its reliance on Green Mountain Power for electricity – and requesting special treatment no other company or ratepayer in the state gets in the process. One of the managers of the facility put it this way, “We…
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VPIRG members have been pushing for an equitable, substantial Transportation and Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P) for several years. We believe a well-designed program can boost our economy, reduce climate emission, and address inequities in our transportation systems. In December 2020, a bipartisan group of governors and mayors from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and the…
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Right now, the Vermont State Senate is considering how to invest the over $1 billion in federal stimulus funds the American Rescue Plan is delivering to Vermont. We need to make sure that they understand Vermonters see climate action investments as critical to our state’s ability to build back from…
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Late yesterday, Gov. Phil Scott released his proposal for the over $1 billion in funds Vermont will receive from the American Rescue Plan Act. Included in his proposal is $200 million over the next four years in energy affordability and climate investments. This is an important down payment on the…
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On Monday, the Vermont Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued an order that would extend the moratorium on involuntary utility disconnections due to nonpayment of electricity, natural gas, and landline phone through May 31st, 2021. Under the previous order, it would have expired this Wednesday. This is good news. We are grateful…
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Going into this legislative session, one of our key priorities was a set of policies designed to advance modernizing Vermont’s transportation infrastructure – to give Vermonters better access to affordable transportation, and to cut our climate pollution. Just past the halfway point in the session, we just hit a major…
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No Vermonter should have to worry that their utilities could be disconnected during this pandemic because they are unable to make bill payments. Last March, the Vermont Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued an order halting all involuntary utility disconnections in the wake of the emerging COVID crisis. That order is set to expire in…
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