Victories

VPIRG Celebrates Enactment of “Climate Superfund” in New York State

Climate & Energy, News and Updates, Victories / By

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 …

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Vermont House Easily Overrides Veto of Bottle Bill Legislation 

Bottle Bill, News and Updates, Press Releases, Victories, Zero Waste / By

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 …

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REI Announces It Will Ban PFAS In All Textiles

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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 …

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Climate Investments FY ’23

Climate & Energy, Victories / By

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 …

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2022 VT Legislative Session Recap

Climate & Energy, Consumer Protection, Elections and Government Reform, Health Care, News and Updates, Toxics & Environmental Health, Victories, Zero Waste / By

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 …

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Governor Signs Community Broadband Bill Into Law

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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. …

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Legislature Gives Final Approval to Community Broadband Bill

Consumer Protection, News and Updates, Victories / By

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 …

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VT House Approves ‘Vote by Mail’ Legislation

Elections and Government Reform, News and Updates, Victories, Vote Safe Vermont / By

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 …

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VT Legislature Passes First-in-Nation Restrictions on Toxic PFAS Chemicals

News and Updates, Toxics & Environmental Health, Victories / By

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 …

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Senate Committees Advance Campaign Finance Reform

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On Wednesday, March 10th, the Senate Government Operations Committee advanced legislation (S.51) that would effectively ban corporate campaign contributions directly to candidates. If enacted, S.51 would be a meaningful step towards getting big money out of politics. Currently, Vermont’s campaign finance law allows corporations to contribute the same amount as individuals. The idea here is simple: corporations are not people and they shouldn’t have the …

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