Montpelier, VT (July 1, 2025) —The Vermont Climate Council has successfully met the July 1, 2025 deadline that requires the Council to adopt a new Climate Action Plan. This plan includes a suite of strategies to equitably and affordably cut planet-warming pollution, reduce energy costs and enhance resiliency in a climate-changed world. The plan includes a set of 52 priority recommendations as well as a top ten list of recommended actions for the state to advance as key strategies.
”The high-cost status quo isn’t serving Vermonters well, and this Climate Action Plan outlines a broad suite of strategies to do better for Vermont households, communities and the planet,” said Johanna Miller, Energy and Climate Program Director at the Vermont Natural Resources Council and a member of the Vermont Climate Council. “Beyond the dangerous, sometimes deadly, costs and consequences of climate change, there are huge economic benefits in climate action. Vermonters are vulnerable to a heavy reliance on high-cost, price-volatile fossil fuels, and there are more affordable, cleaner, and healthier solutions at our fingertips. The Climate Action Plan outlines various pathways to make them available to Vermonters.”
Every four years, the Climate Council is responsible for crafting a Climate Action Plan that provides a broad blueprint for the legislature and executive branch to reduce climate pollution, foster resilience against increasing climate-related threats to Vermont communities, and facilitate a just transition in line with the requirements and goals laid out in the Global Warming Solutions Act.
“Over the course of the past year while updating the Climate Action Plan, more than 1,000 Vermonters weighed in,” said Dan Fingas, Executive Director of Vermont Conservation Voters. “The message that was clearly sent is that Vermont must continue to advance policies and programs that significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption, build climate resilience, protect our invaluable farms and forests, and invest in creating a green workforce to ensure Vermont benefits economically from the transition.”
While the CAP outlines key policy, programmatic and other pathways forward, as well as the environmental and economic imperative, it also clearly reflects a recognition that shifting federal priorities – including doubling down on fossil fuels – will make the work more uncertain and the funding landscape more challenging.
The July 1st deadline to deliver an updated CAP also coincides with recent, unfortunate news that, unlike many other states, Vermont has not yet set the table to recoup millions of dollars in federal funding to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure. EV charging infrastructure is identified as a key priority in the Climate Action Plan. Despite Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark’s efforts to make the case for Vermont to secure and deploy already-awarded National Vehicle Electrification Initiative (NEVI) funds, recent reporting indicates that a lack of essential information from Governor Scott’s administration could result in Vermont forfeiting more than $16 million in funding for EV chargers.
“Successfully implementing the Climate Action Plan will help lower energy bills for cash-strapped Vermonters, move people off the roller coaster of fossil fuel price spikes, generate more local, good-paying jobs, and create healthier, safer communities – if we choose to act,” said Lauren Hierl, Executive Director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council. “The Scott Administration needs to step up to lead the way on these important climate initiatives, including aggressively pursuing all avenues to secure federal funding promised to Vermont to help our state invest in clean alternatives like electric vehicle chargers.”
About VNRC:
Through research, education, collaboration and advocacy, VNRC protects and enhances Vermont’s natural environments, vibrant communities, productive working landscapes, rural character and unique sense of place, and prepares the state for future challenges and opportunities.
About VCV:
Vermont Conservation Voters is building political power against the rising tide of anti-climate and extremist sentiments across the country, including right here in Vermont. We are in your community to educate and uplift activists looking for ways to fight back against the Trump administration, and to put the power to determine our future back into the hands of Vermonters.