News & Updates

As we reach the fourth week of our virtual summer canvass, we here at VPIRG have been blown away by the level of support we have received from both our members and our stellar team of canvassers as we adjust to this ‘canvass-from-home’ reality.   Even still, VPIRG’s first ever (and hopefully only) all-digital summer canvass is off to a great ...

In a huge win for the health of Vermont’s people and environment, the Vermont Senate unanimously passed S.295 today, a bill banning PFAS in certain products including firefighting foam, carpets/rugs, and food packaging. The term ‘PFAS’ refers to a very large (and ever growing, with more research being done all the time) class of chemicals that ...

Over the past two plus months, the legislature has been hard at work addressing the immediate needs of Vermonters as the COVID-19 crisis has unfolded. Legislators have passed or dug into putting a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, directing hazard pay to essential workers, enabling safe elections during the pandemic, addressing financial strains on our ...

No voter in Vermont should have to choose between staying safe and exercising their right to vote this year. But there is no question that during this pandemic, in-person voting can be dangerous for voters and poll workers alike. This is especially true for the November general election, when voter participation rates are expected to be ...

Last week VPIRG and a coalition of allies sent the following letter to Governor Phil Scott and Secretary of State Jim Condos calling on them to immediately institute a vote-by-mail system in Vermont. The letter was accompanied by a petition signed by just over 1,180 Vermonters in support of this policy. This comes at a critical ...

During this crisis, we need to do everything we can to protect frontline workers who are making it possible for life to go on for the rest of us. At the same time, we need to guard against corporate interests trying to use the crisis as leverage to win policies that could harm public health and ...

VPIRG Executive Director Paul Burns, here. Recently, I shared with you some of the immediate changes we’ve made here at VPIRG in response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 crisis. We’ve already adjusted the way our staff conducts work and shifted our focus to prioritize urgent emerging public interest issues. Today, I’m reaching out to let you know that ...

It’s hard to be shocked these days by something the Trump administration does to harm the environment and public health. But several days ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a truly shocking announcement. Now headed by Andrew Wheeler, a Trump appointee and former coal industry lobbyist, the EPA ...