The votes are (mostly) counted, and Vermont has spoken. Yesterday, Vermonters turned out in extraordinary numbers, sent a powerful message about the direction of our state, and delivered some surprising victories and defeats. There is plenty to celebrate, even if we didn’t get everything we wanted. So, without further ado, here’s VPIRG’s take on the Winners …
Data center development is not going away. In rural areas in particular, it’s only speeding up. In fact, Pew researchers Skyler Seets and Kaitlyn Radde have found that most new data centers in the U.S. are coming to rural areas. Out of the 3,000 data centers currently in operation across the country, just 13% of …
What researchers can tell us about data centers in rural areas Read More »
Big Tech companies—like Microsoft, Google, and Apple—are driving large-scale data center development across the country to fuel the AI boom. And now, those companies could benefit from tax breaks for data centers that are built in rural areas. Yes, you heard that correctly. Last weekend, WIRED’s Molly Taft reported that many rural data centers are …
The Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) called on Starbucks today to stop deceiving customers about the recyclability of the coffee giant’s single-use plastic cups. The gathering outside a Starbucks in South Burlington was part of a nationwide week of events in response to new data showing what actually happens to Starbucks plastic cold cups …
Ever since the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010, the flood gates have been officially open to massive corporate spending and dark money in elections. Dark money spending hit an all-time high of $1.9 billion in 2024, and that record is expected to be broken this year. But now, states have identified a …
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 …
Data centers are back in the news in Vermont, and I wanted to make sure you saw. Last Wednesday, VT Digger’s Sean Robinson reported that “Gov. Scott vetoed state regulations on data centers. One of his deputies just urged Congress to pass them.” The article discusses the recent support for a federal bill aimed at …
Over the past few weeks as I’ve been enjoying this Vermont summer with my friends and family, the topic of my work has of course come up – and with it, VPIRG’s efforts on the data center bill that we helped get passed during the legislative session. Over and over, when I let people know …
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with pesticide manufacturers in a June 25th decision that will make it much harder for people harmed by pesticides to hold chemical companies accountable. In Monsanto v. Durnell, the Court ruled that people generally cannot sue pesticide manufacturers under state law for failing to include warnings about health risks on …
Supreme Court Sides with Pesticide Manufacturers Over Public Health Read More »
This past Monday, ICE killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian man who was living in our sister state of Maine. He was fatally shot during a traffic stop. He was authorized to work in the U.S. He was not the target of ICE’s enforcement operation. He had a wife and small child. His …
