As Vermont enters the 2026 legislative session, we do so at a moment where environmental protections and funding that Vermonters have long relied upon are increasingly at risk, even as the impacts of climate change, housing instability, and rising costs are felt more acutely in our communities. Right now, VNRC & VCV are grounded in a simple but powerful belief that protecting our environment goes hand in hand with protecting people, communities, and our democracy.

Vermonters care deeply about clean water, healthy forests, and access to the outdoors, but we are also concerned about whether we can afford to live in our communities, get to work, put food on the table, and trust that our voices matter. These challenges are not separate. The choices we make about land use, energy, transportation, and environmental health will shape whether Vermont remains a place where people and habitats can thrive.

The Scott Administration has framed their agenda around affordability and housing, but many of the proposals advanced by this administration, including a recent Executive Order, risk undermining Vermonters’ ability to build resilient communities. We cannot fall for the false narrative that we can either have housing or a healthy environment.

We must maintain critical safeguards for wetlands at a time when Vermont communities are already experiencing devastating floods. Wetlands serve as one of Vermont’s primary defenses against flooding, and rolling back protections for these natural areas in a haphazard way does not make Vermonters safer or housing more affordable; it increases long-term costs, risks property damage, and places lives and livelihoods in jeopardy.

Laws like Act 181 represent an important step toward aligning housing needs with environmental protection — ensuring that growth happens in the right places, with community input, and with an eye toward long-term affordability and climate resilience.

Another core pillar of VNRC & VCV’s work is to push for an environment free of toxic chemicals. No Vermonter should be unknowingly exposed to toxics or plastic pollution that threaten our heath, waterways, or wildlife. In 2026, we will continue to advocate for protections that reduce exposure to harmful substances and address pollution at its source.

We also remain committed to advancing an affordable clean energy future. Clean energy solutions are no longer just environmentally responsible, they are the most cost-effective option for Vermonters. 

At its heart, our vision for the 2026 session is about connecting housing to infrastructure, conservation to community well-being, climate action to affordability, and environmental protection to social and economic justice because a healthy environment and healthy communities are what sustain a healthy democracy. We know that Vermonters do not experience these issues in silos, and neither should policymakers. VNRC looks forward to working alongside legislators, partners, and communities across the state to advance solutions that reflect our shared values. 

-The VNRC & VCV Teams