With the Trump Administration’s near-total retreat from renewable energy, and its denial of and rollback on established climate science and legal frameworks intended to protect public health, it is more important than ever that states step up to further climate action.
This is not the time to retreat from clean energy and climate. Renewable energy – solar and wind in particular – is now the lowest cost power on the planet. And Vermont’s significant reliance on imported fossil fuels for heating and transportation in particular – where the majority of climate pollution comes from – also has huge economic consequences. That includes being exposed to price spikes like Vermonters’ felt when Russia invaded Ukraine. Which, over the span of a year, drove up the cost of fuel oil by over $2/gallon.
More recently, with the U.S. and Israel’s invasion of Iran, the costs of oil and gas have also significantly spiked. In just over a week, the average price of gasoline has risen by about $1/gallon. The status quo is unpredictable, expensive, and unsustainable. Vermonters cannot afford it. The planet cannot afford it. Young people and future generations shouldn’t have to pay the high costs and suffer the greatest consequences of climate inaction.
Vermont has an obligation to act on climate. Do not roll back climate laws. Please advance:
H. 740 – A GHG Emissions Reporting and Inventory Bill
(Passed out of House Energy, now in House Appropriations for funding consideration. This policy needs a $500,000 appropriation. That is the ask of the Legislature now.)
Description:
This bill is one of the top 10 recommendations of the 2025 Climate Action Plan. It directs the Agency of Natural Resources to collect transportation and heating fuel data for the greenhouse gas inventory to include the types and volumes of fuels sold in the transportation, residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Collecting this data is critical for launching any statewide program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate the transition away from expensive, planet-warming fossil fuels in the heating and transportation sectors. An emissions reporting program is crucial for future statewide policies and regulatory efforts (and programs) to continue improving efficiency, expanding electric use for heating and transportation, and transitioning to less costly renewable resources.
There is broad support for a GHG reporting program, including from the Agency of Natural Resources, which would implement the program. It will require some funding to create the platform and implement the program. A $500,000 appropriation is needed for ANR to establish a reporting platform and program.
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