Voters say climate and the environment are top issues this election season.
There’s been a lot of action on these topics recently at the Statehouse, and there are a lot of upcoming decisions that future lawmakers will have to make.
Need a refresher on the various policies? Read on.
Jump to a section:
- The basics
- Changes the Legislature and governor have made recently
- Looking ahead
- How does your vote matter?
- What the candidates are saying
Let's walk through it together. This guide tells you how voting can impact Vermont's climate and environmental policies. Or explore another top issue:
The basics
Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions are trending downward, at least slightly, according to the Agency of Natural Resources. They are not trending down fast enough to be in line with the state’s long-term (and some say short-term) climate commitments — which align with the Paris Agreement, a 2015 international agreement to keep global temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius this century.
Scientists broadly agree that if the world achieves this goal, we can avoid some of the worst human impacts of climate change.
- Average temperatures in Vermont have risen about 3 degrees Fahrenheit since the beginning of the 20th century, and that warming trend appears to be accelerating
- Vermont and the Northeast now see about 50% more extreme precipitation — which can lead to flooding — than we did before 1995, according to research from Dartmouth College
- Vermont is seeing more droughts, and impacts from agricultural forest pests
- The length of Vermont’s growing season is growing by almost four days every decade
- If the world does nothing to curb its burning of carbon, scientists at the University of Vermont predict that commercial skiing may no longer be economically viable in Vermont by 2080. Cutting emissions globally could extend the industry into the next century
Changes the Legislature and governor have made recently
The Global Warming Solutions Act: This law was passed in 2020 and commits Vermont to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions dramatically, with big deadlines in 2025, 2030 and 2050 — or face potential lawsuits. One lawsuit has already been filed concerning progress towards the 2025 deadline. Gov. Phil Scott vetoed the legislation in 2020, but lawmakers overrode that veto.
The law also created Vermont’s Climate Council, which is tasked with creating regular plans for how Vermont will meet these deadlines in the form of a Climate Action Plan. The next Climate Action Plan is due in summer of 2025, and is expected to tackle emissions from transportation — Vermont’s biggest source of emissions. This election will determine in part who has a seat at the table to write that plan.
The Affordable Heat Act and clean heat standard: Passed in 2023, over Gov. Scott’s veto, this law seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by heating buildings. The buildings sector is the second biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont.
The bill proposes new regulations on companies that import and sell fossil heating fuels in Vermont. Companies that import fossil fuels into Vermont will have to purchase or earn “clean heat credits” for doing or funding things that help their customers heat their homes with less fossil fuels. Regulators on the Public Utility Commission are currently designing this plan, which must be approved again by the next Legislature before it could take effect. Lawmakers are expected to take up the policy this session.
Renewable energy standard: This law, first enacted by the Legislature in 2015, requires Vermont utilities to source more of their power from renewable resources over time. A 2024 update to the law — which was vetoed by Gov. Scott — ramps up the pace of decarbonization.
By 2035, all Vermont utilities must source 100% of their energy from renewable sources. It also doubles the amount of power utilities have to purchase from new renewables built in Vermont, and creates a new requirement that utilities purchase power from new renewables built in New England. Because Vermont is part of New England’s regional grid, experts say installing new sources of renewable energy in places near where it’s needed on the grid is the only way for Vermont to make its electricity cleaner. And while electricity generated by renewables tends to be less price volatile over time than electricity from fossil fuels, building new infrastructure creates upfront costs — which was the core controversy over this policy.
Flood Safety Act: This law calls for the creation of Vermont's first-ever statewide regulations on new development in river corridors — the places where rivers move, especially during flood events. Building in river corridors is not regulated by the federal government. Additionally, many people who live in river corridors are uninsured, and data suggests this is where the worst damage often occurs. The law also strengthens protections for wetlands — which slow and filter floodwaters — and it creates stricter regulations on private dams.
Climate Superfund Act: Modeled after the federal superfund program, this first-of-its-kind law will empower Vermont’s attorney general to pursue payment from the largest fossil fuel companies for a share of what climate change has cost the state since 1995, based on how much their products contributed to the problem globally. The policy does not target businesses that distribute fossil fuels, like fuel dealers or gas stations. If successful, these payments would fund climate recovery and adaptation efforts. Scott allowed the legislation to become law this year without his signature.
Act 250 reform: The Legislature in 2024 also passed changes to Act 250, the state’s land-use law, overriding Scott’s veto. In addition to setting up exemptions to Act 250 in some areas, the law lays the groundwork for bolstering Act 250’s protections in areas deemed ecologically sensitive, and sets up new rules intended to protect forest blocks.
Other environmental policies: Lawmakers have passed a ban on the use of neonicotinoids — a common type of pesticide that has been linked to pollinator decline — over the governor’s objections. The ban goes into effect in 2029. Lawmakers also passed laws requiring new regulations on trapping and hunting coyotes with dogs, and considered (but did not fully pass) changes to the membership of the state Fish and Wildlife Board.
Additionally, lawmakers passed a law with Scott’s signature that restricts toxic so-called “forever chemicals” or PFAS in clothing, makeup, menstrual products, diapers and nonstick frying pans, among other commercial goods, starting in 2026 — and bans them in artificial turf starting in 2028.
Looking ahead
There are some big decision points and changes coming up:
Jan. 1, 2025: Vermont emissions must be 26% below 2005 levels.
January 2025: The Public Utility Commission submits draft regulations for the Affordable Heat Act’s clean heat standard to the Legislature — and is expected to submit its own parallel proposal for how Vermont could cut climate emissions from heating buildings. The Legislature must approve any plan before it can take effect.
2025-2026: Vermont will implement the Climate Superfund Act, and start the process of attempting to recoup costs of climate damage from major fossil fuel companies.
2026: Starting this year, car and big truck manufacturers will begin sending Vermont dealerships a growing number of EVs. Under regulations Vermont adopted last year, dealers in the state will eventually be barred from selling new gas-powered vehicles.
2028: A permit from the state will be required to conduct development in a river corridor.
2030: Vermont emissions must be 40% below 1990 levels.
2035: All Vermont utilities must source 100% of their energy from renewable sources. And every new car sold in Vermont will have to be powered by electricity or by hydrogen.
2050: Vermont emissions must be 80% below 1990 levels.
How does your vote matter?
To understand how your vote affects climate and environmental policy, consider a few decisions that elected state officials can make:
- Energy: What kind we use, where we get it, as well as where generation is sited and who gets to weigh in
- Federal funding: How federal dollars are spent in Vermont for resiliency, electrification and who is eligible for financial assistance for things like weatherization
- Water management: How stormwater and wastewater are managed to limit pollution; how farms are regulated in the state
- Housing: How much we build, and where
- Transportation: How much public transit there is, and how accessible it is; where EV chargers are located, incentives for electric vehicles and who is eligible for them
- Flooding: How we protect against and respond to flooding
- Forests: What areas of forest and habitat are protected from development
- Hunting and animal welfare: How Vermonters are able to hunt, regulations on trapping and standards for animal welfare
- Waste management: Where it goes and how it’s managed
- Chemicals: How we deal with them in the environment and our homes
It helps to think about which areas matter most to you as a voter. Then, evaluate the candidates’ plans. Do they take the climate emergency seriously? Do they account for the ways climate change and environmental hazards can affect the most vulnerable Vermonters, and do their plans for transformation leave anyone behind?
What the candidates are saying this year
“We appear to be at an inflection point in the warming of the planet, hence the recent floods, so changes need to be made urgently. We should aim for positive incentives, especially to support less affluent Vermonters, rather than penalties.” — Thomas "Tomz" Ziobrowski, Democratic candidate for House, Caledonia-Washington
“We must focus on ways to cut greenhouse gases that do not bankrupt Vermonters as nothing else matters if we can't afford to live here.” — John Rodgers, Republican candidate for lieutenant governor
“Environmental stewardship is a high priority. However, I do not support punitive, economically sacrificial policies that do nothing to improve Vermont's environment or the global climate.” — Renee McGuinness, Republican candidate for House, Addison-4
“A better policy than trying to swap fossil fuels and wood heat use for electric, would be to incentive remote work and school as well as focusing on weatherizing and community-size geo-thermal.” — John O’Brien, Democratic candidate for House, Windsor-Orange-1
“As much as we like to think of ourselves as leaders, it is completely irresponsible economically to think a small state can wag the giant dog.” — Anne Donahue, independent candidate for House, Washington-1
Find more candidate responses to questions about housing, taxes and affordability, climate and environment, health care and education in Vermont Public's candidate guide and debates.
How to vote in the general election
Eligible voters can register anytime up to and on Election Day, Nov. 5.
You can register online, in-person at your town clerk’s office, or on Election Day at your polling place.
Voting
If you received a ballot in the mail, you can return it by mail or take it to your town’s dropbox.
You can also vote early, in-person at your town clerk’s office or on Election Day at your polling place.
If you get a mail-in ballot but plan to vote in person, bring the ballot with you to your polling place.
Learn more
Find your registration status, ballot information, polling place info and more at your My Voter Page.
Get more information about the voting process in Vermont Public’s general election guide, and learn about who’s running in our candidate questionnaire.
This story is part of Vermont Public’s Citizens Agenda approach to election coverage. We’re asking a simple question: What do you want the candidates to be discussing as they compete for your votes? Front Porch Forum is our lead outreach partner for this project.
Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message.
