News That Affects You!
COVID-19 Concerns In response to the COVID-19 coronavirus, Governor Phil Scott activated the emergency operations center this week. While Vermont’s price-gouging law allows the Governor to declare a market emergency, that has not happened. In a press conference on Thursday, Attorney General TJ Donovan said his office has not heard of complaints about local companies Read More…
By Guy Page March 9, 2020 – The Vermont House Transportation Committee is shelving – for now – a plan to require Vermont employers to participate in “the statewide reduction in single-occupancy pleasure car trips.” Virtually all cars are defined by state law as “pleasure cars.” The aim of the legislation is to decrease the Read More…
Town Meeting Results Growing pressure from rising costs and declining enrollments led to the rejection of school budgets in nine school districts on Tuesday. Nine municipal budgets were also defeated on Town Meeting Day. In Vermont’s largest city, the Progressive Party flipped two seats and seized the majority on Burlington’s City Council. And in South Read More…
* The Global Warming Solutions Act (H.688) recently passed the House on a strong vote of 105-37 and turns Vermont’s goals for carbon emission reductions into requirements. It requires the state to create a plan for meeting these targets and gives individuals a cause-of-action tool for court intervention if Vermont fails to develop or effectively Read More…
Town Meeting Talk Lawmakers will be home all next week for Town Meeting break. This is your chance to speak personally with your elected leaders. It is important that you take the opportunity to remind them what you do and how hard you work to keep Vermonters safe and warm. Make sure you vote on Town Read More…
On Friday, February 28, the public comment period will close for the Transportation & Climate Initiative’s draft MOU (Memorandum of Understanding). Please take this opportunity to ask questions and register your opinion! Here’s the link to the online input form. If you’d like the Vermont team to respond to your comment or question, please add a Read More…
(Editor’s note: this press release from the office of Gov. Phil Scott was received this morning and is printed verbatim. Walke has been the administration’s point person on the development of the Transportation & Climate Initiative, the regional carbon tax supported by the Vermont Climate Solutions Caucus but not – yet, anyway – by Gov. Read More…
Before the 2020 legislative session kicked off, proponents of the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) were calling the interstate agreement to raise prices of gasoline and diesel by as much as 17¢ a gallon their “banner” legislation for the new year. Now, just half way through January, the scheme is unravelling at a rapid pace. The Read More…
GWS Advances Legislation that opens the state of Vermont up to lawsuits if it doesn’t reduce carbon emissions passed by a vote of 105 to 37 on Thursday. The “Global Warming Solutions” proposal will spend just shy of a $1 million over the next two years designing a “Climate Action Plan.” The legislation mandates a reduction in greenhouse Read More…
When: Thursday, February 20 at 4pm Where: Montpelier Room, Capitol Plaza Hotel Approximately half of Vermont homes rely on fuel oil for heat and hot water. Vermont’s fuel oil tank inspection regulations ensure that this fuel is delivered safely. VFDA, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA), oilheat providers and Read More…
GWS Advances In a 7-2 vote, the House Energy Committee passed “Global Warming Solutions” legislation. The proposal will spend just shy of a $1 million over the next two years designing a “Climate Action Plan.” The measure has the support of nearly 90 lawmakers and is expected to pass the full House next week. The legislation Read More…
You can learn more about the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) at two final public hearings hosted by Vermont agency officials and regional planning commissions. TCI is a regional program that would establish a cap on global warming pollution from transportation fuels and invest millions annually to achieve additional benefits through reduced emissions, cleaner transportation, healthier communities, and more resilient infrastructure. Read More…
/One Vote Short This week the House of Representatives failed to override Governor Phil Scott’s veto of a paid family leave program. If it had just one more vote, the legislation would have created a payroll tax to fund a program that would allow up to 12 weeks of paid time off for illness or Read More…
On December 17, 2019, a bipartisan group of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states that make up the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) invited the public to provide feedback on a new draft proposal for a regional program that would establish a cap on global warming pollution from transportation fuels and invest millions annually to achieve additional benefits through reduced emissions, cleaner transportation, healthier Read More…
Two decades ago Vermont policy leaders balked at a regional trend towards competitive retail markets for purchasing electricity. To date, the northeast continues to pay some of the highest prices in the nation and renewable energy could be the culprit. Bill Short, an energy policy expert based in New York City, tells FYIVT that Vermont Read More…
Vermonters must speak out forcefully against bills that include Carbon Dioxide taxes, fees, and economic schemes, as they are inhumane. “The “Transportation Climate Initiative” known as “T.C.I”, will raise the “cost of living” even more than it’s current elevated status. “WalletHub”, an online personal finance website, presents Vermont as having the fourth-highest overall tax burden Read More…
