Last week, a federal judge ruled that the Trump Administration must release millions in funding for EV charging infrastructure to fourteen states – but not Vermont. Why? As Seven Days revealed, the Scott Administration refused to support Attorney General Charity Clark’s lawsuit to force the Trump Administration to deliver those funds to Vermont. The story …
Scott Administration Undermining Vermont’s EV Future Read More »
CLIMATE & CLEAN ENERGY Protecting Vermont’s Climate Progress from Rollbacks One of the most important outcomes of the 2025 legislative session was the successful defense of Vermont’s foundational climate policies. From the beginning of the year, attacks on climate action have come hard and fast from both President Trump and Governor Phil Scott. While many …
Last year, after devastating floods that swept across our state, the Vermont legislature took a bold and necessary step by passing Vermont’s Climate Superfund Act. This landmark law is designed to do what’s only fair: require the world’s largest fossil fuel companies, which profited for decades while knowingly fueling the climate crisis, to help pay …
Vermont State Representatives Introduce Bill to Let Big Oil Off the Hook: Oppose H.518 Read More »
After the devastating floods that hit Vermont in the summer of 2023, the Vermont legislature stepped up and passed the Climate Superfund Act, requiring some of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies to compensate Vermont for the enormous costs the climate crisis is causing Vermont and Vermonters. Now, the work of implementing that law is …
Urge your senators to support funding to implement the Climate Superfund Act Read More »
We’ve passed the unofficial halfway mark of the 2025 Vermont legislative session. Last Friday marked the crossover deadline – the date by which bills must be advanced out of their initial policy committee if they are going to have a chance of being passed this year. We knew coming into this session that we’d need …
Just days after President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. to once again pull out of the Paris Climate Accord, Governor Phil Scott – reflected in the budget and policy proposals he put forward yesterday – called to fundamentally retreat from Vermont’s commitment to climate action. “While Gov. Scott’s rhetoric is very different from Trump’s, both …
Environmental and Business Groups Blast Governor for Retreating on Climate Action Read More »
Vermonters have made it clear that the status quo just isn’t working. At VPIRG, we’ve never been real big on preserving the status quo anyway. Our work to protect Vermont’s people, environment, & democracy will continue in 2025. From guarding our online privacy to ensuring the safety of our food and products, we’re seeking progress …
Montpelier, VT – The Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) congratulated New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for signing the Climate Change Superfund Act into law on Thursday. The new law establishes a cost recovery program that requires the fossil fuel companies that have contributed most significantly to the buildup of greenhouse gas pollution in …
VPIRG Celebrates Enactment of “Climate Superfund” in New York State Read More »
Earlier this year, the Vermont Legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto to pass an expansion of the state’s Renewable Energy Standard, or RES, putting us on track to delivering 100% renewable energy statewide by 2035. The Renewable Energy Standard is a framework through which Vermont’s electrical utilities are required to acquire energy from renewable sources and …
5 Things to Know About the Renewable Energy Standard Read More »
The Affordable Heat Act (S.5) is a policy designed to help ensure that every Vermonter can access cleaner, more affordable heat — not just those who already have the resources to do so. In 2023, the Vermont Legislature passed S.5, commencing a comprehensive two-year process to explore, shape and consider implementing a “clean heat” thermal …
