Issues

Urge your senators to support funding to implement the Climate Superfund Act

Climate & Energy, Climate Superfund Act, News and Updates, Take Action / By

After the devastating floods that hit Vermont in the summer of 2023, the Vermont legislature stepped up and passed the Climate Superfund Act, requiring some of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies to compensate Vermont for the enormous costs the climate crisis is causing Vermont and Vermonters.   Now, the work of implementing that law is …

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2025 Mid-Session Update

Climate & Energy, Consumer Protection, News and Updates, Toxics & Environmental Health, Zero Waste / By

We’ve passed the unofficial halfway mark of the 2025 Vermont legislative session. Last Friday marked the crossover deadline – the date by which bills must be advanced out of their initial policy committee if they are going to have a chance of being passed this year. We knew coming into this session that we’d need …

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Environmental and Business Groups Blast Governor for Retreating on Climate Action 

Climate & Energy, Global Warming Solutions, Heat Clean, News and Updates, Press Releases / By

Just days after President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. to once again pull out of the Paris Climate Accord, Governor Phil Scott – reflected in the budget and policy proposals he put forward yesterday – called to fundamentally retreat from Vermont’s commitment to climate action.  “While Gov. Scott’s rhetoric is very different from Trump’s, both …

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2025 Legislative Priorities

Climate & Energy, Consumer Protection, Elections and Government Reform, News and Updates, Toxics & Environmental Health, Zero Waste / By

Vermonters have made it clear that the status quo just isn’t working. At VPIRG, we’ve never been real big on preserving the status quo anyway. Our work to protect Vermont’s people, environment, & democracy will continue in 2025. From guarding our online privacy to ensuring the safety of our food and products, we’re seeking progress …

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The Truth About Toxic PFAS Chemicals—and How Retailers Are Responding

News and Updates, Reports, Toxics & Environmental Health / By

Recent headlines like “95 Million Americans Have PFAS-Laced Drinking Water” underscore the alarming prevalence of toxic PFAS chemicals—also known as “forever chemicals”—in our food, bodies, and environment. From drinking water contamination to game meat consumption advisories, the evidence is clear: PFAS are a widespread problem and a threat to human health.  What’s less clear—until now—is …

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VPIRG Celebrates Enactment of “Climate Superfund” in New York State

Climate & Energy, News and Updates, Victories / By

Montpelier, VT – The Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) congratulated New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for signing the Climate Change Superfund Act into law on Thursday. The new law establishes a cost recovery program that requires the fossil fuel companies that have contributed most significantly to the buildup of greenhouse gas pollution in …

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‘Tis the Season for Less Plastic

News and Updates, Press Releases, Reports, Toxics & Environmental Health, Zero Waste / By

VPIRG report provides consumers with tips for avoiding excessive and potentially toxic plastic packaging and products this holiday season. Nowhere on Earth is free from plastic pollution these days, from the highest mountaintops to the deepest ocean canyons. The problem gets worse each year and seems to peak during the holiday season when household trash …

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5 Things to Know About the Renewable Energy Standard

Climate & Energy, Efficiency & Electrification, News and Updates / By

Earlier this year, the Vermont Legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto to pass an expansion of the state’s Renewable Energy Standard, or RES, putting us on track to delivering 100% renewable energy statewide by 2035.   The Renewable Energy Standard is a framework through which Vermont’s electrical utilities are required to acquire energy from renewable sources and …

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About the Affordable Heat Act (S.5)

Climate & Energy, Efficiency & Electrification, Heat Clean, News and Updates / By

The Affordable Heat Act (S.5) is a policy designed to help ensure that every Vermonter can access cleaner, more affordable heat — not just those who already have the resources to do so. In 2023, the Vermont Legislature passed S.5, commencing a comprehensive two-year process to explore, shape and consider implementing a “clean heat” thermal …

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5 Things to Know About the Pollinator Protection Act

News and Updates, Toxics & Environmental Health / By

Pollinators play a vital role in our ecosystem and are responsible for one in three bites of food we eat every day. Unfortunately, pollinator populations in Vermont and around the country are being threatened by a class of widely used pesticides called neonicotinoids. Fortunately, earlier this year the Vermont Legislature passed the Pollinator Protection Act …

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