A subcommittee member led others through an exercise that put a fine point on the demographic makeup of the Climate Council’s Just Transitions subcommittee. It’s charged with protecting Vermont’s most vulnerable communities while Vermont transitions through climate-focused changes.
The illness has circulated around New England, but veterinarians still aren’t sure what’s causing it.
The bill is unlikely to pass out of the House Environment and Energy Committee in its current form.
As many as 60 of Vermont’s roughly 700 public drinking water systems have detectable levels of PFAS that are below the state’s current standard but could be above a new national standard, according to state officials.
The current version of the bill would require the Vermont Pension Investment Commission to create a plan to divest Vermont’s three statutory pension plans — with a few exemptions — from the fossil fuel industry by 2031.
“The size of this project was kind of an eye opener,” said Dave Kiernan, Shaftsbury’s town administrator. “We just need to have the ability to have a stronger voice when these projects come up.”
Vermonters on Tuesday approved tens of millions of dollars in upgrades to address aging infrastructure problems.
Amid debates that have reached a fever pitch across the state, lawmakers advanced S.5, which aims to transform the way Vermonters heat their homes.
As lawmakers and land trusts pursue conservation goals, new trends in the state mean Vermonters are having “a really tough conversation about what our forests are, what they mean to us and what we want from them,” one forester said.
Amid heated debate over what’s best for forests — and people who rely on them — one Vermont proposal seeks to balance “forever wild” with active forest management.