Health Care was big news last week, from the Supreme Court to the Vermont Legislature. With all the coverage and endless political commentary, it can be hard to get a sense of what’s really going on. Here are the ‘Cliffs Notes’ to help decode the latest happenings in Vermont and Washington D.C.
In 2010, Vermont legislators voted to shutter a nuclear power plant, putting the state at odds with the federal government and the plant’s owner—the Louisiana-based Entergy Corporation. Public Meltdown explores the debate that roiled Vermont, including the lawsuits and court action that followed.
As Vermonters, we tend to take a special interest in our food. We want to know who grew it, what’s in it, and how far it traveled before it landed on our plate. That’s why at VPIRG, we think it’s essential that consumers be informed if the food they are buying is the product of genetic engineering (also known as “genetically modified organisms” or GMOs). As part of the Vermont Right to Know GMOs campaign VPIRG is working with a coalition of consumer, public health, agricultural and environmental groups to require the labeling of genetically engineered foods sold in Vermont.
Thanks to all of the calls and emails of VPIRG members and other activists, we are one step closer to requiring Vermont’s health insurers to provide detailed data to the state on the claims they deny. The Senate Health & Welfare committee unanimously passed the denied claims bill (S.200) last week prior to the looming “crossover” deadline on March 16.
Many of the groups who have led the massive grassroots, policy and legal effort to retire Vermont Yankee over the years gathered at the State House this morning to make clear that they aren’t going away or giving in on this 40th anniversary of the plant’s launch. March 21st is the day that was to …
Groups Mark 40th Anniversary with Renewed Commitment to Retire VY Read More »
Last week marked “crossover,” where most bills need to be passed out of committee to remain alive for this legislative session. VPIRG members made phone calls and sent hundreds of emails to their Senators urging the Senate Natural Resource & Energy committee to pass the expanded Bottle Bill out of committee by the Friday, March 16 crossover deadline.
In response to the overwhelming support for a constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court’s disappointing Citizen’s United decision as displayed by Vermonter’s across the state on town meeting day, the VPIRG supported resolution at the state level (JRS 11) was given an extension from the crossover deadline.
Thanks to the steadfast action of the GMO Right to Know Coalition and VPIRG members across the state and beyond, the Agriculture Committee has been given more time to consider The VT Right to Know Genetically Modified Food Act (H.722), and testimony will resume in the statehouse on Wednesday, March 20th. Due to your support, …
Proponents of labeling also cite GMOs’ environmental effects. Gary Hirshberg, chairman of organic yogurt producer Stonyfield Farms, said that crops with a gene for resistance to a widely used herbicide, glyphosate (sold under the trade name Roundup), have resulted in herbicide-resistant “superweeds” on over 13 million acres of farmland in 26 states. This leads, he said, to greater use of stronger defoliants like 2,4-D.
Late Friday, the Clean Energy Bill (H.468) passed out of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee, and it will be voted on by the full House of Representatives on Tuesday. Advocating for this bill has been a wild ride. Multiple representatives have told me it’s been one of the toughest bills they’ve ever worked …
