On Friday, March 17, the House Energy & Technology Committee voted to pass H.411, a bill that protects the Federal appliance efficiency standards from Federal rollbacks. The bill passed with tripartisan support, with only one representative (Representative Van Wyck, Addison-3) voting against it. It then passed the full House on a voice vote and has …
House Moves Toward Protecting Appliance Efficiency Standards Read More »
S. 103 passed through the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee last Friday with unanimous support. The bill has since been approved by the Senate Finance Committee, and just needs to clear the Senate Appropriations Committee before it reaches the Senate floor for a discussion and vote. In the meantime, the House Natural Resources, Fish …
Legislative Update: Toxic Chemical Reform Moves Forward Read More »
Since the start of the 2017 legislative session, VPIRG members and supporters have been more active than ever: signing petitions, calling the State House, sending messages to and meeting with legislators on a wide range of public interest issues. VPIRG has been doing all that we can to fight back against federal attacks on the …
After weeks of testimony, the paid family and medical leave bill was passed out of the House General, Housing & Military Affairs Committee last Friday. H.196 proposes a statewide family and medical leave insurance (VT FaMLI) program that would provide up to 12 weeks of paid time off for employees needing extended time for a …
The numbers don’t look good: almost half of all private-sector employees in Vermont lack access to a retirement plan through their employer, and for those who are able to save, it’s often “insufficient”. In fact, the average balance for Vermonters with defined contribution accounts is the lowest in the country.Better retirement savings would strengthen the …
The Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee has been reviewing S. 103, the toxic chemical reform bill based on recommendations from a working group convened in response to PFOA contamination in Vermont. The comprehensive recommendations suggested by the working group would expand and strengthen our toxic chemical regulations, provide more information to communities, and help …
We all know that balancing life and work can be hard- and after a birth, serious injury, or long-term illness, that balance can be near impossible. This is especially true when workers and their families are forced to choose between a paycheck, and staying home to care for themselves or a loved one. Most countries …
Paid Family & Medical Leave: Supporting VT workers & small businesses Read More »
VPIRG joined over 300 other farming, beekeeping, farm worker, religious, food safety, and conservation advocacy groups this week in calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to put consumer and farmer interests above corporate interests, by conducting a thorough investigation of the proposed mergers between the world’s largest agrochemical and seed companies – Bayer AG …
300+ advocacy organizations join in national opposition to mega-mergers Read More »
On Wednesday, February 8th, VPIRG and a host of other Vermont environmental organizations co-hosted a webinar featuring Senator Bernie Sanders. The webinar, titled “Moving Forward on Climate without DC,” attracted nearly 1,000 viewers across the state and around the country. Senator Sanders reiterated the importance of climate action, and emphasized the role that states like Vermont …
VPIRG Co-Hosts Climate Webinar with Bernie Sanders Read More »
A new study by the Environmental Working Group shows that chemicals closely related to PFOA, the toxic chemical that contaminated water in Bennington, are still used in some food wrappers. Since PFOA was banned from food contact substances, industry has shifted to coat food wrappers with similar chemicals with slightly different chemical structures, which are intended to …
