In today’s Climate Dispatch, we talk with the Chair of the House Transportation Committee, Rep. Sara Coffey, and VNRC’s Sustainable Communities Program Director, Kati Gallagher, about the work underway to incorporate climate-friendly, multi-modal transportation priorities into the FY 2025 Transportation Bill.

Also this week, climate resilience continues to be a top priority in the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee, and the committee is poised to pass out S.213 as early as next week. The bill includes dam safety improvements, river corridor protections, and a policy to ensure a “net-gain” of wetlands, to help build greater climate resilience and mitigate flood impacts. Check out our priorities for climate resilience.

Today’s Episode

We must invest in cleaner transportation solutions, such as more efficient and electric vehicles, and other needed transit, micro-transit, and bike and pedestrian infrastructure. We must also work to identify more sustainable long-term funding sources to support a modern and equitable multi-modal transportation system. In order to further these initiatives, VNRC helps to coordinate the Transportation for Vermonters Coalition. T4VT is a diverse coalition of individuals, organizations, businesses and institutions committed to working together, creatively, and across sectors to achieve a sustainable, accessible transportation system in our rural state. Check out T4VT’s 2024 priorities for the Legislature.

Call to Action

We anticipate that S.213 will soon pass out of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. Now is the time to let your Senator(s) know that we need to better manage and protect our watersheds as we adapt to climate change. Please take a moment to contact your Senator(s) to urge them to support passing S.213, the climate resilience bill to protect Vermont’s river corridors and wetlands, and improve dam safety.