Last week VPIRG and a coalition of allies sent the following letter to Governor Phil Scott and Secretary of State Jim Condos calling on them to immediately institute a vote-by-mail system in Vermont. The letter was accompanied by a petition signed by just over 1,180 Vermonters in support of this policy. This comes at a …
VPIRG and Allies Send Vote-By-Mail Petition to Governor; SOS Read More »
No one should have to choose between staying safe and exercising their right to vote. But we’re heading toward an election in the middle of a pandemic. Early voting for Vermont’s August primary begins in late June. And there is no way of knowing what the COVID-19 threat will be for the rest of 2020. …
During this crisis, we need to do everything we can to protect frontline workers who are making it possible for life to go on for the rest of us. At the same time, we need to guard against corporate interests trying to use the crisis as leverage to win policies that could harm public health …
It’s hard to be shocked these days by something the Trump administration does to harm the environment and public health. But several days ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a truly shocking announcement. Now headed by Andrew Wheeler, a Trump appointee and former coal industry lobbyist, the …
VT Leaders Must Oppose Trump EPA’s Free Pass to Polluters Amid Crisis Read More »
The Vermont Senate voted today to adopt a number of temporary emergency reforms to facilitate the functions of government and democracy during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include changes to Vermont’s open meetings law and to elections, which could include a vote by mail process. The legislation (H.681) was negotiated during a series of teleconference meetings …
VPIRG Supports Measures to Keep Government Working; Elections Safe Read More »
You may have heard some buzz recently about SunCommon’s Climate Action Film Festival, featuring short films from near and far profiling inspiring individuals and communities working to take action to address the climate crisis. Many screenings have already taken place across the state, and several more were planned for the coming weeks. In light of the COVID-19 …
Climate Action Film Festival Goes Digital in Response to COVID-19 Read More »
In a strong showing of support to ban toxic PFAS chemicals from our consumer products, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee unanimously voted S.295— an act relating to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances—out of committee Friday, March 13th. This move comes after several weeks of testimony taken by the committee, including supportive testimony by Conservation Law Foundation, the Professional Firefighters of Vermont, Seventh Generation, Vermont …
Bill to Ban Toxic Chemicals from Consumer Products Advances Read More »
In Vermont, transportation now contributes 45% of our total climate pollution. In order to meet our emissions reduction goals, we need to get an estimated 90,000 electric vehicles (EVs) on the road by 2025 – Vermont has slightly more than 3,500 today.[1] If we want to get serious about our climate commitments, we must focus …
The VT Legislature is back from Town Meeting break and it’s crossover week, which means legislation needs to move this week if it’s to have a chance of being enacted this year. VPIRG director Paul Burns and Vermont Conservation Voters director Lauren Hierl came together to give an update on where several key pieces of …
Environmental Health Crossover Update & Call to Action Read More »
Vermonters support the Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI) – a bipartisan, regional effort to modernize transportation systems and reduce pollution – and want Gov. Phil Scott to join the compact. Of the 353 comments submitted by Vermonters through the Scott administration’s TCI portal between April 2019 and February 2020, more than four out of five comments (83%) support the initiative. In addition to hundreds of citizen submissions, meteorologists, business leaders, …
Vermonters Want to Join the Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI) Read More »
