MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Gov. Phil Scott wants Vermont lawmakers to change course on fighting climate change and proposes lawmakers roll back mandates to decarbonize. For the governor, it’s all about affordability. What state lawmakers choose to do or not to do will have a direct effect on what Vermonters may pay for heating oil, electric rates and more.
Environmental advocates are sounding the alarm over what they see as the state walking back on a commitment to the climate and the future.
“We say no to these rollbacks because it is a moral imperative,” said Laura Zakaras of Third Act Vermont.
In recent years the Democratic supermajority advanced sweeping climate laws over Scott’s objections, including a 2020 landmark law allowing groups to sue the state if it falls short of strict carbon reduction goals.
But political winds are shifting and the governor, with more Republican allies and his veto power back, is pitching several bills to scale back the pace of going green. He says we can’t afford it.
“We can’t continue to harm everyday Vermonters. We have fewer and fewer of them in the working-age population,” said Scott, R-Vermont.
He proposes removing the lawsuit provision from the Global Warming Solutions Act and scaling back a law requiring Vermont to source all of its power from renewable resources.
“It may be a different pace but we’re still moving forward,” he said.
But even with pollution reduction requirements coming at us fast, it’s unclear whether Democrats can be convinced to roll back mandates. They argue the changes they are pushing will make life more affordable for Vermonters.
“When we help Vermonters weatherize their home or get into a fuel-efficient car, we are helping them save money,” said Rep. Kathleen James, D-Manchester.
Lawmakers could hold off on any new climate legislation until after the next election cycle.
This all comes in a national and global context where the Trump administration has once again pulled out of the Paris Climate Accords and cut funding for green initiatives like EVs.
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