As we move towards an electrified transportation future, it’s important to remember that not everybody wants, needs, or can afford a personal electric vehicle – and we can and must do far more to give Vermonters viable alternatives to driving cars and trucks everywhere they need to go. One of the best ways to tackle …
Transportation Infrastructure, Alternatives, & What’s Next Read More »
As Vermont continues to work toward a notable reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions, we’re going to need to make a big transition away from gas-guzzling cars to cleaner modes of transportation. The good news is the 2022 legislative session in Vermont closed with significant investments in sustainable transportation that will help expand Vermonters’ options …
Electrifying Transportation and Moving away from Single Occupancy Gas-powered Vehicles Read More »
As Vermont works to tackle the reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions, more and more residents will need access to affordable, reliable, and accessible clean electricity. Fortunately, this legislative session brought $35 million for electrification – primarily for low- and moderate-income Vermonters – that will broadly support our state’s continued transition away from fossil fuels …
This legislative session brought massive, historic investments totaling $80 million for low- and moderate-income Vermonters interested in weatherizing their homes. The last decade has seen dramatic improvements in how we insulate buildings—weatherization means adding insulation and air sealing crucial areas of a building to better maintain temperature, control moisture, keep pests and pollutants out, and …
Vermont communities interested in reducing their energy bills and cutting climate pollution have something to celebrate. H.518, the Municipal Energy Resilience Initiatives bill is now law, setting the stage for $45 million in federal Covid-19 relief dollars to flow to municipalities for investments in weatherization, switching to super-efficient cold climate heat pumps or other clean …
New Program Funds Community Weatherization & Cleaner Heat for Vermont Communities Read More »
The polls have closed on VPIRG’s first ever Mock Ranked Choice Voting Vermont Primary Election and there was one clear winner: Ranked Choice Voting itself. Nearly 1300 voters cast ballots and all of them got the chance to experience a simple, clear method of voting where they could choose candidates who best represented their values …
Significant Dollars in Diverse, Needed Programs Provide a Foundation Upon Which to Build The Vermont Legislature crafted and Governor Phil Scott recently signed the FY23 budget, H.740, committing to unprecedented investments in climate action and resilience and setting the stage to help Vermonters reduce their energy costs, their reliance on expensive and polluting fossil fuels, …
The Legislature crafted and yesterday Governor Phil Scott signed H.518, the Municipal Energy Resilience Initiatives Bill into law, setting the stage for $45 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to support municipalities with technical assistance, energy assessments and municipal weatherization, fuel switching and other potential cost- and carbon-cutting …
New Program Creates Cost- and Carbon-Cutting Opportunities for Vermont Municipalities Read More »
Will address environmental harms disproportionately affecting many communities A diverse coalition of environmental justice leaders celebrated the enactment of the state’s first-ever environmental justice law, which earned Vermont Governor Phil Scott’s signature on Tuesday. The bill, S.148, passed with strong tri-partisan supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature before arriving at his desk. This law …
Community Leaders Hail Enactment of VT’s First Environmental Justice Law Read More »
Falko Schilling, here. In addition to being the Advocacy Director at ACLU of Vermont I’m a current VPIREF trustee and former VPIRG staff member. Throughout its history, VPIRG has been a bold leader in consumer protection issues, advocating for Vermonters to have a right to know what’s in the products they consume and watchdogging potentially …
VPIRG at 50: Reflecting on our GMO Labeling Campaign Read More »
