News & Updates

Climate change is the major issue of our time. It will not be solved by one all-encompassing policy, but rather by a great many efforts that take on the issue from every angle. This year, we’re fighting to make sure addressing climate change is a priority in Vermont’s state budget. But we need you to ...

In a State House press event Wednesday, VPIRG joined with legislators, 350VT, the Youth Lobby and concerned citizens to roll out legislation aimed at banning the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure in Vermont. Among the elected officials taking a stand for climate justice and against fossil fuels were Representatives Mari Cordes and Mary Sullivan. Rep. ...

Last week, VPIRG spoke to members of the Climate Solutions Caucus in the statehouse to outline the various pieces of the Volkswagen Settlements. Our Clean Energy Advocate, Kanika Gandhi, presented the group with a memo (see below) and described the state and federal level settlement outcomes. The caucus is pushing for all funding, both the ...

Apply here: www.vpirg.org/2019-canvass-app Position: VPIRG Summer Canvasser Location: Burlington, VT Last year, VPIRG went door-to-door organizing Vermonters behind a simple, but powerful idea: that our state must stand up and fight back against the outrageous attacks coming from the Trump administration and special interests in Washington D.C. The result? The most successful summer canvass in our 45+ year history. But ...

On Wednesday, VPIRG joined with a coalition of 25 groups from around Vermont — representing youth, low-income, business, public health, environment and others — to announce a shared platform for Climate Action, detailing our shared policy goals for the 2019 session. In a press event at the Vermont State House Wednesday, the coalition urged action on ...

Environmental and public health advocates and the mothers of two young men who recently died from methylene chloride exposure today filed a lawsuit against Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their failure to finalize a ban on the use of the lethal chemical in paint strippers. The suit was ...

Our children need safe drinking water – especially in their schools. This may seem obvious – but unfortunately schools across the nation have tested positive for lead and other contaminants. In Vermont this past fall, 16 schools had their water tested as part of a pilot water testing program and all 16 found lead in their ...

The 2019 Vermont legislative session kicked off today and we’re excited. This legislature has more new lawmakers than Verrmont has seen in decades and many of them were elected on bold platforms to protect our people and our environment. And it couldn’t come a moment too soon. The challenges we face are as great as they’ve ever ...