The devastating summer floods in Vermont and forest fires in Quebec underscore how climate change is directly impacting the lives of people in our state and region. I know Vermonters want climate action and responding to this existential crisis in the short- and long-term was a priority again this session. Unfortunately, the Governor does not share the Legislature’s urgency to address the climate crisis and refused to sign several environmental bills this session. Three such bills are summarized below.
In Vermont, the two largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions are transportation and thermal heating of homes and buildings. The most visible climate legislation this session was designed to address the latter source — Act 18 the Affordable Heat Act seeks to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, including oil, propane, and kerosene, for heating homes and indoor spaces in Vermont. The Act establishes a Clean Heat Standard, administered by the Public Utility Commission (PUC), and requires entities that import heating fuel into Vermont to reduce their amount of greenhouse gas emissions every year through efficiencies, weatherization, electrification, decarbonization, and other measures. Reductions in emissions will be represented by clean heat credits that fuel importers will use meet their obligations. At least 32% of these credits must come from reductions for customers with low and moderate incomes. Individual Vermonters do not have to make any changes to their heating fuels or systems unless they chose to; the responsibility for action lies with fossil fuel importers. While Act 18 establishes the Clean Heat Standard, the system will not go into effect until the Legislature approves, through new legislation, the PUC’s rules and implementation plan after January 2025. In other words, nothing will go into effect without significantly more time, analysis, planning, and public outreach. The Governor vetoed the Affordable Heat Act, but the Legislature overrode the veto so the bill could become law.
Climate change and changes in land use are among the drivers creating a catastrophic loss of biodiversity, here in Vermont and throughout the world, threatening ecosystems that sustain plants and animals, including humans. As an example, recent floods reminded us once again that efforts to preserve wetlands along river corridors have been crucial in preventing flooding of Otter Creek in Addison County. After several years of work, we passed Act 59 Community Resilience and Biodiversity Act, which establishes state goals to conserve 30% of the land in Vermont by 2030 and 50% by 2050. Act 59 requires the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, in consultation with the Agency of Natural Resources, to develop an inventory of existing conserved lands and a plan on how to reach the conservation goals over the next three decades. The Act includes detailed findings, definitions, and goals which establish the framework for this crucial effort. The Governor did not sign the Community Resilience and Biodiversity Act, but let it become law without his signature.
Vermont’s highly popular and successful Bottle Bill has been in effect for over 50 years, diverting many tons of recyclable materials from landfills and giving plastic, glass, and aluminum containers another use. However, the decades-old law needs an update and nearly 85% of Vermonters support expanding the Bottle Bill to cover more types of beverage containers. At the tail-end of the session, we passed H.158 the updated Bottle Bill, which would increase the goals for beverage recycling; require beverage manufacturers and distributors to participate in an approved producer responsibility organization; add more bottle redemption centers by requiring at least three per county and in larger municipalities and densely populated areas; expand the scope of the program by adding more types of beverages; and streamline the system for redemption centers and exempt small retailers from the program. The Governor vetoed the updated Bottle Bill after we adjourned, so we’ll hopefully be able to override his veto when we reconvene next January.
Photo note: Otter Creek Falls in Middlebury following several days of severe rain in July 2023.
Ruth for Vermont 