December 18th, 2024 – As 2024 draws to a close, I resolve to start the new year with both optimism and determination to protect the things we care about. At the heart of Vermont’s identity lies our shared connection to the natural world. We love the beauty and bounty of our state. We also know that a healthy environment is essential to a healthy economy. Our state relies on its brand of a clean and protected environment to attract residents, visitors, and businesses. 

But I am wary of a false choice: that we must choose between an affordable Vermont and a clean and healthy Vermont. Protecting our environment and health saves our state money and helps our local economies by protecting Vermont’s greatest assets – our clean air, water, land, and vibrant communities. 

We all know affordability is a significant problem, and the status quo isn’t working for many Vermonters. For one thing, people are spending too much money to heat their homes and get around. Costs for fossil fuel heating and transportation are expensive and unpredictable. As one example, in November 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, fuel oil prices in Vermont spiked to over $5 a gallon – more than $2 a gallon higher than the year before. The Vermont Legislature adopted the The Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) in 2020 to ensure that our state would address the growing impacts of climate change while helping Vermonters access more stable, local heating sources and better transportation options. While we debate the most effective ways to implement this law, we must keep working on solutions to help all Vermonters transition to clean and affordable ways to power and heat our buildings, and get where we need to go.

Over the last two summers, Vermont experienced devastating floods that are becoming more extreme due to climate change. These floods have upended the lives of thousands in communities across Vermont, and have cost our state more than a billion dollars. Earlier this year, the Vermont Legislature enacted the Flood Safety Act, which will help reduce flood risk by keeping development away from our rivers and out of harm’s way. The bill also better protects wetlands, which can act as sponges on the landscape, and improves dam safety. These critical steps forward are just starting to take effect. Still, as they are rolled out in our communities, they will help protect Vermonters’ lives and livelihoods and save our communities money – especially because Vermont is, unfortunately, expected to see increasingly intense floods in the coming years.

Vermont also continues implementing the Vermont Clean Water Act of 2015, created to clean up Lake Champlain and ensure healthy waters across our state. When the bill initially passed, Vermonters came together, declaring that we were “all in” and needed to do our part to protect our waters. We recognized that the costs of allowing our waters to become increasingly polluted is unacceptably high. We have invested significant resources in this work, and notable progress has been made. At the same time, the work continues as we still see too many beaches closed due to algae blooms and too many waterways that remain polluted. Vermont must continue to take action, including creating a more effective system to regulate farm pollution. 

Similarly, Vermont and other states are already paying an exorbitant amount to clean up contaminated water. Harmful chemicals like PFAS have been found in Vermont drinking water, and exposure to these chemicals increases the risk of numerous diseases – which also contributes to rising health care costs. To help address the human and financial costs of PFAS pollution, the Legislature made it easier to hold polluters accountable for the harm they cause, and they have banned certain products with PFAS from being sold in Vermont. There is more to be done, including banning PFAS from additional products, like dental floss and cleaning products.

In the last two sessions, the Legislature enacted bills encouraging the development of affordable, multi-family housing. As these bills begin to be implemented, we’re already seeing these policies spur more housing of all types. By focusing development in and near our downtowns and village centers, we will add to the vibrancy of our communities, protect Vermont’s forests and other critical natural resources, and keep municipal infrastructure costs down. We must unite to successfully roll out these policies around the state so all communities can benefit.

These are just a few of the policies Vermont has recently adopted to address some pressing issues. If we allow them to work as intended, they will help create healthier, safer communities while reducing the heavy costs of a polluted environment. We are excited to collaborate with every incoming lawmaker to build upon this work.

Vermonters deserve solutions to address affordability. But any leader who tells us that we must choose affordability over a healthy environment is simply locking us into today’s problems for even longer, pushing even greater expenses onto people’s shoulders in the long term.

If we want to create a state that attracts new families and where our children choose to stay, we must create communities where people want to live. Fortunately, policies that protect our land, water, and air, create affordable housing, and build our resilience to climate disasters can help make Vermont the affordable, healthy, and safe place we all deserve.

-Lauren Hierl, VNRC Executive Director