Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed a bill designed to add teeth to Vermont’s efforts to cut greenhouse gases by allowing the public to sue the state if the mandated targets are missed.
Scott’s veto sets up the governor for another showdown with the Democrat-controlled Legislature.
Earlier this year, Scott vetoed a minimum wage bill and legislation to require paid family leave. Lawmakers overrode his veto on minimum wage but failed to get the necessary two-thirds majority in the House to override the family leave vote.
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On the global warming bill, the votes seem to be sufficient to override. The bill passed the House earlier in the session by 102-45 and the Senate 22-6.
The House is expected to vote on the veto Thursday.
The bill says Vermont has to cut its carbon pollution by 26% below 2005 levels by 2025. By 2030, emissions have to be 40% below 1990 levels.
A 23-member “climate commission” would be charged with developing ways to meet those goals. If the state fails to meet those targets, the public can sue to enforce them.
Scott objected to both the litigation provision and the role of the climate commission. At a news conference last week, he noted that the bill is known as the “global warming solutions act.”
"When I really look at the bill, I don't see any solutions in there, all I see is mandates," Scott said.
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But House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said the legislation is needed because the Scott administration has failed to act.
“Four years into his term as governor, Vermont still lacks a strategy to prepare for and address climate change,” she said in a statement. “Our most vulnerable communities and rural areas lack the resiliency needed for the climate emergency. Vermont is the only state in the northeast with higher greenhouse gas emissions than we had 30 years ago. It’s time for Vermont to catch up. Unfortunately, the governor’s veto of this bill risks putting us further behind.”
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