On March 28, 2012, over 250 local activists, community members, and legislators filled the ballroom at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier to join a discussion on the implications of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” for natural gas in Vermont. VPIRG co-hosted a public forum alongside VNRC, and 350.org bringing International, and local experts to tell their …
Statement of VPIRG Executive Director Paul Burns on Senate’s 22-7 Vote to Kill Expanded Bottle Bill Friday, April 20, 2012 — Just as people around Vermont and across the country are marking the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, Vermont state senators have voted to kill a proposal to expand Vermont’s most successful recycling law — …
On April 20th the House Agriculture Committee voted 9-1 in favor of labeling of genetically engineered foods sold in Vermont. The vote came after the Committee had heard nearly a month’s worth of testimony, including the April 12th public hearing when hundreds of the bill’s supporters packed the House chamber. The more than one hundred …
The Clean Energy Bill, H.468, just passed out of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. If enacted, it would require Vermont utilities to provide Vermonters with 35% renewable energy by 2032, and guarantee that at least 100 MW of that energy would come from local, community scale resources through an expansion of Vermont’s groundbreaking …
Clean Energy Bill passes Senate Natural Resources Read More »
The Vermont House of Representatives voted 92-40 in favor of a joint resolution (JRS 11) urging the US Congress to begin the process of amending the Constitution to make clear that corporations are not people and money is not speech. VPIRG applauds the grassroots activists who laid the foundation for this movement by getting over …
A great account of the April 12th public hearing by Farm Aid’s Joel Morton. Farm Aid was on hand last Thursday evening at the statehouse in Montpelier where hundreds of Vermonters from all four corners of the state gathered to rally and publicly testify in support of bill H722, which would require clear labeling of …
Hundreds Gather in Support of Vermont GMO Right to Know Rally and Hearing Read More »
The Vermont State House was filled to capacity Thursday night for the public hearing on H.722, the bill that would label genetically engineered foods in Vermont. People came from all corners of New England, and unanimously called the members of the House Agriculture Committee to pass H.722. In all, legislators heard testimony from one hundred …
Vermonters Fill State House in Support of GMO Labeling Read More »
The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy passed an amendment to expand the Bottle Bill as part of the broader solid waste and mandatory recycling bill (H. 485) on Friday morning. Offered by Senator Joe Benning (R- Caledonia), the amendment adds beverages such as water bottles, juices, and sports drinks to the bottle redemption …
Senate Committee gives Thumbs Up to a Bigger, Better Bottle Bill Read More »
The Vermont Right to Know GMOs coalition held an “Unlabeled and Unnatural Buffet” at the Vermont State House today. The problem: right now, without a law requiring GMOs to be labeled, we just don’t know.
Forty years ago this week, on April 7, 1972, Vermont legislators passed the Bottle Bill – innovative legislation to add a redeemable deposit on soda and beer bottles and cans. Vermont was only the second state in the nation, after Oregon, to enact a bottle redemption program. The idea was originally conceived as a way …
