A Federal Court sided with Vermont voters in a September 17th decision to dismiss a US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit seeking Vermont’s complete voter file. This marks the 24th loss for the DOJ in cases seeking state voter rolls, containing voter’s drivers license numbers, partial Social Security numbers, and other private information. The Vermont …
Montpelier, VT – The Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) congratulated New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for signing the Climate Change Superfund Act into law on Thursday. The new law establishes a cost recovery program that requires the fossil fuel companies that have contributed most significantly to the buildup of greenhouse gas pollution in …
VPIRG Celebrates Enactment of “Climate Superfund” in New York State Read More »
The Vermont House of Representatives made quick work today of overriding Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of legislation designed to modernize the state’s popular Bottle Bill program. Even with five members who had supported the bill absent today, the vote was 112-32, an extraordinary margin for an override. Supporters included Democrats, Republicans, Progressives, and independents. Every …
Vermont House Easily Overrides Veto of Bottle Bill Legislation Read More »
New commitment follows nationwide campaign and state regulatory actions On February 21st, leading outdoor retailer REI announced it will ban PFAS “forever chemicals” (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) in all textile products and cookware from its suppliers, in a major update to its “Product Impact Standards” for its 1,000+ brand partners. REI’s restrictions take effect in the fall of 2024 for cookware …
Check out our breakdown of an unprecedented wave of climate investments (totaling over $200 million) from Vermont’s 2022 Legislative Session below. We thank the Legislature and Governor for including these historic investments in the “big budget bill” (now Act 185). These investments represent essential progress towards ensuring all Vermonters benefit from our transition away from …
We’ve recently wrapped up a busy, successful – and, in some cases, challenging – legislative session. VPIRG members helped win some exciting victories on environmental justice, getting mercury out of lighting in Vermont, a record-setting $200 million for climate action in the budget, and more! But we also faced some disappointments–falling just short in our …
With the governor signing H.360 into law, Vermont has enacted the most significant investment in state history to provide world-class broadband internet service to every Vermont resident. Perhaps most importantly, instead of directing precious resources to the same large telecoms that have failed to deliver universal access to Vermonters, this legislation invests in community-based solutions. …
Governor Signs Community Broadband Bill Into Law Read More »
Both chambers of the Vermont legislature have given final approval to H.360 aka “The Broadband Bill.” This VPIRG-supported bill represents the most significant investment in state history toward bringing world-class broadband internet service to every Vermonter—an investment made possible by federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. But perhaps as important as the funding …
Legislature Gives Final Approval to Community Broadband Bill Read More »
119-30 vote indicates the bill will become law this year The Vermont House gave its strong support today to legislation that will require ballots to be mailed to all Vermont voters in general elections moving forward. This policy was put in place as a one-time emergency measure in 2020 during the early days of the …
Today, the Vermont Legislature gave final approval to a nation-leading bill that would restrict the sale of consumer products that contain toxic chemicals known as PFAS. The bill now heads to the Governor for his signature. The Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), and Vermont Conservation Voters released the following statements in …
VT Legislature Passes First-in-Nation Restrictions on Toxic PFAS Chemicals Read More »
