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Every week, Vermont Public's politics team provides a succinct breakdown of some of the biggest issues at the Statehouse.

Capitol Recap: Environmental advocates on defense after governor targets major climate laws

A sign reads 100% renewables for all. People kneel behind it in the Statehouse holding signs calling for climate action.
Abagael Giles
/
Vermont Public
Environmental advocates, such as those seen here at a press conference last year, have enjoyed significant victories in Montpelier over the last four years. But Gov. Phil Scott is now asking lawmakers to substantially revise most of Vermont's major climate laws.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott is asking lawmakers to roll back or revise almost every major climate bill enacted by the Democratically-controlled Legislature over the last four years.

And the environmental advocates who previously enjoyed so much influence in Montpelier now find themselves on the defensive.

Vermont Public education reporter Lola Duffort talked with our capital bureau reporter Peter Hirschfeld about where climate advocates go from here. They also discuss how state leaders are responding to the threat of federal budgets cuts out of Washington, D.C.

This interview was produced for the ear. We highly recommend listening to the audio. We’ve also provided a transcript, which has been edited for length and clarity.

Lola Duffort: Given electoral losses for Democrats, I think most observers walked into the session saying, ‘OK, clean heat, that’s dead.’ But what about the rest of the very ambitious climate agenda that democrats had set into motion? How much of that is in play?

Peter Hirschfeld: Yeah, you would hard-pressed to find another state in this country that has more aggressively pursued greenhouse gas emissions reduction than Vermont. And everything that’s happened on that front in the last four years is very much in play.

The Global Warming Solutions Act — this is a law that requires Vermont to hit emissions reduction milestones in 2025, 2030, 2050 — the governor wants to get rid of those mandates. He also wants to get rid of this key provision that would allow people to sue Vermont if we don’t comply with those mandates. You’ve got the Climate Superfund Act that the governor wants to roll back as well. This is a plan that would allow Vermont to sue big oil for economic harms caused by climate change.

And then we learned just this week during the governor’s budget address that he also has concerns about the renewable energy standard. This is a law that requires electric utilities to get 100% of their energy from renewable sources by 2025. The governor says he’s worried about the impact on ratepayers from that as well. So virtually every major climate bill we’ve seen over the past four years is suddenly in play, because the governor is going to be asking lawmakers to rescind, revise, or roll back provisions in all of them.

Six people sit around a table, some looking at computer screens
Brian Stevenson
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Vermont Public
The Vermont Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 28, 2025. The committee's former chair, Democrat Chris Bray, lost reelection in November amid backlash over the clean heat standard bill.

Lola Duffort: I’m not surprised about most of that, but even the Climate Superfund Act? He wants them to take a second look at that?

Peter Hirschfeld: Even the Climate Superfund Act, which was the one major climate bill that Phil Scott did not veto. He says he’s come to realize Vermont is going to incur enormous legal fees waging a legal battle against large fossil fuel companies. And he’s no longer convinced that the cost of that effort is going to yield the kind of return Vermonters are going to need to see in order to justify those expenses.

Lola Duffort: What kind of messaging are you seeing emerge from the environmental community?

Peter Hirschfeld: Affordability, right? That’s the word of the day. Phil Scott used that them in his campaign last year to great effect. And you’re going to see the environmental community leaning into it now. They realize they’re going to have to convince lawmakers and the general public that it is in people’s personal financial interest to move forward with activities like weatherization, like the installation of cold climate heat pumps — that those sorts of projects are going to save them money. That it’s a pocketbook issue.

Lola Duffort: Right, so it’s no longer a moral imperative. It’s the economy, stupid.

A man stands to speak at a podium
Brian Stevenson
/
Vermont Public
Gov. Phil Scott delivers his fiscal year 2026 budget address at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Jan. 28, 2025.

Peter Hirschfeld: Yeah, and sure, for a slice of the electorate, the moral imperative is a very salient thing. That resonates with them. But for most everyday Vermonters, the concern is, "What is my bill going to be at the end of the month?" They’re struggling financially. They don’t have a lot of disposable income. And so it’s going to be on the environmental advocacy community to convince Vermont that this makes economic sense.

More from Vermont Public: Gov. Scott will ask Vermont lawmakers for new electric vehicle fees

Lola Duffort: So, pivoting a little bit. Vermont went into somewhat of a panic earlier this week when President Donald Trump announced his pause — now rescinded — on trillions of dollars in federal funding. What are you hearing from leaders in Montpelier about the kind of messaging that’s coming out of the White House?

Peter Hirschfeld: Enormous concern. The executive orders, as you mentioned, have been rescinded. But Democratic lawmakers know Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress are going to be able to achieve the goals of those executive orders through the conventional federal budget-making process. That could result in an enormous amount of lost federal revenue for Vermont, which we’re heavily reliant on, I should say.

They’re thinking about contingency plans — how do we potentially backfill lost federal funds with state finding if the worst comes to pass from a fiscal perspective? But there’s general agreement among both Republicans and Democrats that Vermont just doesn’t have the horsepower, as Finance Commissioner Adam Greshin put it, to replace all the money that we might lose from the feds. And that could lead to some very hard decisions in the not too distant future.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.

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Lola is Vermont Public's education and youth reporter, covering schools, child care, the child protection system and anything that matters to kids and families. She's previously reported in Vermont, New Hampshire, Florida (where she grew up) and Canada (where she went to college).
The Vermont Statehouse is often called the people’s house. I am your eyes and ears there. I keep a close eye on how legislation could affect your life; I also regularly speak to the people who write that legislation.
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