CLIMATE & CLEAN ENERGY
Protecting Vermont’s Climate Progress from Rollbacks
One of the most important outcomes of the 2025 legislative session was the successful defense of Vermont’s foundational climate policies. From the beginning of the year, attacks on climate action have come hard and fast from both President Trump and Governor Phil Scott. While many of Trump’s attacks have done real damage (and more are tied up in the courts or Congress), here in Vermont we have successfully beat back Gov Scott’s package of climate policy rollbacks embodied in H.289.
Scott and the Vermont House and Senate GOP attempted to gut Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions Act, dramatically weaken last year’s Renewable Energy Standard – pushing renewable energy and the jobs that come with it out of state – and raid Efficiency Vermont’s funding. VPIRG members came out in droves to defend the progress we have made, making hundreds of calls to the State House and sending countless emails to legislators making clear that Vermont joining Trump in retreating from climate action is unacceptable. Building on those calls and working closely with our allies in and out of the legislature, these efforts were decisively defeated.
Supporting the Climate Superfund Act
Another key victory this session was the continued support for the implementation of Vermont’s groundbreaking Climate Superfund Act. This landmark legislation aims to hold major fossil fuel companies accountable for the climate damages they’ve inflicted upon our state and its residents. Critically, the legislature demonstrated its commitment to this vital law by including $350,000 in the state budget for the Treasurer’s office to conduct the required cost estimate of climate-related damages. While additional funding will almost certainly be needed next year, this funding will allow work on that cost estimate to move forward in the coming months.
Streamlining Backyard Solar Permitting (S.50)
In a move that will allow Vermonters to embrace more clean, affordable energy, the legislature passed S.50, which streamlines the permitting process for backyard solar projects. Governor Scott signed this bill on May 28, 2025, marking a valuable advancement in making solar energy more accessible for homeowners across the state.
S.50 increases the size of ground-mounted solar net metering projects that qualify for expedited registration, making it easier and quicker for individuals to install backyard solar systems large enough to power a home with technologies like heat pumps, electric vehicle charging, and efficient, modern electric water heaters. This is a modest, positive step towards independence and affordability, cutting unnecessary red tape to allow Vermonters to reduce their reliance on expensive fossil fuels and benefit from the long-term savings that come with renewable energy. By cutting through bureaucratic hurdles, Vermont is demonstrating its commitment to putting clean energy directly into the hands of its citizens.
DEMOCRACY
Ranked Choice Voting (H.474)
Our goal at the start of this year was to pass legislation to put Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in place for the 2028 presidential primary in Vermont. With wide open primaries expected for both major parties in 2028, allowing voters to rank their favorite candidates in order of preference would not only give them a stronger voice in the process, but would also eliminate the problem of votes being wasted on candidates who drop out before our primary takes place. However, legislators in the House turned the RCV requirement into a study of how the process would work. And in the Senate, legislators pushed the study date out so earliest implementation wouldn’t be until 2032 and subsequently removed the study entirely from the bill that ultimately passed. We will however continue to press for this necessary electoral reform in future sessions.
Regulating “Synthetic Media” in Elections (S.23)
More than two dozen states have already taken steps to regulate the use of so-called synthetic media in elections. Vermont legislators stepped up to the plate this year with a bill aimed at any campaign material put out within 90 days of an election that has been manipulated to appear realistic using digital technology – including AI – to deceive voters, influence the outcome of an election, or injure the reputation of a candidate. The bill requires a mandatory disclosure in the campaign material if synthetic media is used. The legislation passed both chambers and is on its way to the governor.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Protecting Vermonters from Toxic Chemicals in Products (H.238)
Last year, Vermont took a major step forward in protecting public health by passing Act 131, which banned PFAS from many everyday products—including personal care products, cookware, incontinence products, juvenile items, menstrual products, and textiles. This year, legislators passed H.238, which builds on that momentum by eliminating PFAS from additional sources like cleaning products, dental floss, and fluorine-treated containers. The bill also includes critical protections for firefighters, with a ban on most PFAS-laden firefighting gear set to take effect in 2029. H.238 passed unanimously through House and Senate committees, receiving strong support in both chambers. The governor signed the bill into law on June 11, 2025.
Implementing the Pollinator Protection Act
Work continues to implement Act 182, a law passed last year to protect pollinators from the harmful effects of neonicotinoid pesticides. The law tasked the Agency of Agriculture with drafting rules for allowable uses of neonics. The Agency has drafted the rules, and we anticipate a public comment period in July. Our coalition of scientists, beekeepers, farmers, and environmentalists is recommending changes to ensure the rules better protect pollinators and help farmers transition to safer alternatives. We intend to submit these comments to the Agency once the public comment period opens.
ZERO WASTE
Modernizing Vermont’s Bottle Bill
The House Environment Committee took testimony from VPIRG and other interested parties on the need to modernize Vermont’s Bottle Bill this session. We fell just short of overriding the governor’s veto of Bottle Bill legislation last session and we don’t have the votes to override this year. So, we’re working to find common ground on improvements that will make redemption more convenient, remove some of the burdens on small businesses, and reduce sorting requirements at redemption centers. We expect this issue to be back next year.
Reducing the Quantity & Toxicity of Plastic Pollution (S.139)
VPIRG testified in support of legislation sponsored by Sen. Anne Watson and others that would ban a process that the plastics industry calls “chemical recycling” in Vermont. This process is typically a form of incineration or pyrolysis that releases all sorts of toxic chemicals and creates a form of fuel while recycling almost no plastic. The bill would also study ways to dramatically reduce the use and toxicity of plastics in packaging. We expect the bill to be taken up again next year.
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Eliminating Medical Debt for Low- and Moderate-Income Vermonters (S.27)
The legislature passed and the governor signed S.27 – VPIRG-backed legislation that would authorize the Treasurer’s office to use a one-time investment of $1 million to eliminate $100 million worth of medical debt for Vermonters with low and moderate incomes. The law also prohibits medical debt from being included on Vermonters’ credit reports. This legislation came from a proposal by Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak who modeled the plan on similar successful medical debt elimination legislation in other states, like Rhode Island.
Protecting Vermont Consumers’ Data Privacy (S.71)
We came up short in our effort to enact a strong, comprehensive consumer data privacy law to protect Vermonters’ sensitive personal information. The Vermont Senate did pass a comprehensive data privacy bill earlier in the session, but the version they passed followed the model preferred by tech and data giants which purports to provide Vermonters with privacy protections, but, in reality, allows companies to continue harvesting and using consumers’ data in any way they wish, so long as they disclose it somewhere in the fine print of a privacy policy. We supported the decision of privacy-minded legislators in the House to hold S.71, so we can continue to build support for meaningful privacy reforms in the months ahead. We’ll be back to advocate for this legislation in the new year.
Keeping Kids Safe Online (S.69)
Legislators were able to make some progress to rein-in the worst excesses of the tech industry and keep Vermont’s kids safer online by passing S.69 – the age-appropriate design code. This bill prohibits companies that produce online services that are accessed by minors from including manipulative product features like autoplay and endless scroll. It prevents these companies from making programming decisions designed to addict and exploit. It requires companies to be transparent about how they use minors’ personal data. And it requires them to ensure minors have the strongest privacy settings by default. The governor signed this bill into law on June 12, 2025.