On Monday, Vermonters gathered outside the State House in Montpelier to thank Governor Shumlin and other state leaders for moving Vermont toward a clean energy future and for their support for retiring Vermont Yankee on schedule.
On Tuesday, the Vermont House of Representatives passed H.475, a VPIRG-backed bill that will streamline the process for Vermonters choosing to power their homes and businesses with solar and other renewable energy sources. This bill strengthens Vermont’s already nation leading renewables legislation, and builds on work VPIRG and our partners did in 2011.
U.S. District Court Judge Garvan Murtha just released his ruling in Entergy Louisiana’s lawsuit against the state of Vermont regarding Vermont Yankee. In a blow to clean energy and the public interest, Murtha sided with Entergy in striking down key sections of Vermont law.
Today, the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Vermont lawmakers and activists are holding a press conference in support of a state resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn the ruling and challenge the notion of corporate personhood.
On Thursday, the Senate gave final approval to S.92, a bill that requires manufacturers and distributors of cleaning products to only sell environmentally preferable cleaning products to schools. The bill will now make its way to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
“This legislation will create safer and healthier learning environments in our schools,” said Charity Carbine-March, environmental health advocate for Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). “Children in classrooms across Vermont will soon be breathing easier.”
VPIRG is working to make Vermont the first state in the nation to ban the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing. Hydrofracking, or fracking as the practice is also known, can be extremely hazardous to the environment and a danger to public health for a number of reasons. This issue has recieved extensive media attention recently due to these serious concerns.
Strengthening the Bottle Bill will take two main forms: updating it so that you’ll be able to redeem water bottles and other non-carbonated beverage containers (including hard cider and wine bottles), and closing the “unclaimed nickel” loophole. That way, the deposits from unredeemed containers will go back to the State to be reinvested in recycling programs.
Our advocates are following these bills and we’ll keep you posted on opportunities to take action. Find the bill language by clicking the title.
Our advocates are following these bills and we’ll keep you posted on opportunities to take action. Find the bill language by clicking the title.
Our advocates are following these bills and we’ll keep you posted on opportunities to take action. Find the bill language by clicking the title.
