Welcome back to the Climate Dispatch, and happy Memorial Day weekend! As the unofficial start of summer arrives and Vermonters head outdoors to soak up some much-needed vitamin D, lawmakers in Montpelier are still hard at work putting the finishing touches on many of this session’s key bills – and we’ve been tracking the action closely. 

There’s a lot happening! Here’s a quick update on a couple key bills before we talk about data centers… After passing through the Senate and House earlier in the week, H.740, the greenhouse gas emissions reporting program, is now in conference committee. And S.202, the plug-in solar bill, is moving forward as well. 

In great news, H.727 – the data center bill – passed the Senate on a strong 26-3 vote on Tuesday. The House followed this with an overwhelming majority vote of its own, and H.727 will now head to Governor Scott’s desk.

Today’s Episode

In today’s Dispatch, we go deeper with Rep. Kathleen James, Chair of the House Energy & Digital Infrastructure Committee, about what’s in this important bill – and why. Rep. James describes how H.727 creates a strong regulatory framework where any large-scale data centers coming to Vermont must pay fully for the energy they’d demand, run off renewables, and minimize any potential environmental harm.

Call to Action

As we stated at the top, H.727 is heading to the Governor’s desk soon for his signature. It’s our hope he signs it, but we will need your help to ensure it. That’s because, earlier this session, the Scott Administration signaled they may oppose the bill — specifically because it requires data centers to make a payment to ensure their energy consumption doesn’t drive up climate pollution or costs for ratepayers. 

Vermont can’t afford to let this moment slip by – H.727 is an essential step forward to protect Vermonters and Vermont’s environment. Nationwide, data center growth is accelerating at a breakneck pace, and Vermont needs better tools to protect ourselves. H.727 will set the stage for how we approach data centers now and for years to come. It’s vital that Vermont rises to the occasion to ensure that if any data centers come here, they operate on our terms. 

So please take a moment to call and urge Governor Scott to do the right thing: Vermont needs protections in place before data center developers come knocking. Ask Gov. Scott to sign H.727!

Sincerely, 

Johanna Miller, VNRC & Dan Fingas, VCV