It’s been a historic year for climate action, communities, and natural resources! Read about the monumental progress made this year in our 2024 Legislative Bulletin.
With the devastating impacts of the 2023 floods still impacting communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure throughout Vermont, the Legislative session began with an urgent focus on flood mitigation, meeting the climate and housing crises head-on, protecting our critical natural resources, and ensuring the health and safety of Vermonters.
Along with our allies, we were able to deliver big wins on clean energy, flood safety, Act 250 modernization, keeping Vermonters safe from toxics, and more! The Legislative Bulletin covers the success we had advancing new policy, like the Flood Safety Act (S.213), an act to ban “forever chemicals,” PFOAs and PFAS (S.25), and the first-in-the-nation Climate Superfund Act (S.259).
Importantly, the Legislative Bulletin was published before the June 17th veto override session, in which the Legislature overrode three of Governor Scott’s vetoes on our priority bills, allowing them to become law. These include updates to the Renewable Energy Standard (H.289), which sets Vermont on a course to 100% renewable electricity by 2035, a bill to protect pollinators (H.706) by phasing out toxic neonicotinoid pesticides over the next few years, and a comprehensive modernization of Act 250 (H.687) that encourages significant housing to be built in well-planned areas and simultaneously protects critical natural resources, including our intact forests, wildlife habitat ,and headwaters.
It’s been a landmark year for Vermont’s commitment to a sustainable and resilient future. Thank you to all helped make these successes possible!