by Paul Bean

The House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee Tuesday afternoon will review bills introduced by Republicans and intended to repeal the Clean Heat Standard, the required emissions reductions, Vermont’s tie to the California emissions standards, and the Global Warming Solutions. Act.

The bills may, or may not, progress to the House floor after their hearing this week. However, just getting a hearing so early in the legislative session represents progress compared to how the issues raised by these bills were downplayed or ignored last session when the Supermajority held sway.

H. 16 – An act relating to repealing the Affordable Heat Act

Sponsors

Vermont bill H. 16 would repeal the Affordable Heat Act, Act 18, which established the Clean Heat Standard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from in Vermont. 

The Affordable Heat Act required fossil fuel dealers to acquire “Clean Heat Credits” by promoting cleaner heating solutions or contributing to a fund for clean heat initiatives.

The proposed repeal would effectively stop the implementation of the Clean Heat Standard.

H. 52 – An act relating to changing the greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements to goals

Sponsors

This bill proposes to reduce the carbon reduction mandates in the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) to goals. Within the GWSA, there is a provision that allows any third-party to sue the state for not meeting the mandated goals. Currently, Vermont is facing a lawsuit from both sides of the carbon spectrum. In November the Conservation Law Foundation filed a lawsuit against the State of Vermont for not meeting the mandated goals outlined for 2025. Last month, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Petroleum Institute filed a lawsuit against the state over the Climate Superfund Act, a law that requires fossil fuel companies to pay for climate change damage. H.52 would reduce those carbon reduction mandates to goals.

H. 62 – An act relating to repealing the Global Warming Solutions Act

Sponsors

This bill aims to repeal the Global Warming Solutions Act entirely. Everything mentioned above is in some way related to Act 18. H. 62 would change these requirements back to goals rather than enforceable mandates, effectively dismantling the Vermont Climate Council and the need for a Climate Action Plan. This would be a radical change to the current functioning of the Vermont political scene and would shake up almost every other subsequent policy.

H. 65 – An act relating to revoking Vermont’s use of California’s Clean Air Act waiver

Sponsors

This bill seeks to end Vermont’s adoption of California’s stricter vehicle tail-pipe emissions standards. In accordance with California, Vermont has utilized Section 177 of the Clean Air Act which allows California and around 17 other states  (including CT, MA, ME, RI, and NY) to regulate tail-pip emissions to a higher standard.In September 2022, Vermont adopted California’s Advanced Clean Car and Advanced Clean Truck Regulations, in accordance with the GWSA as a means to meet the ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont. This includes a mandated goal that 35% of inventory sent from manufacturers into Vermont must be electric by 2025, and 100% by 2035. 

Revoking this regulation would mean that Vermont would instead comply solely with federal emissions standards. This mandate has raised concerns for auto-dealers in Vermont because of the potential loss of business. If they are required to have 35% of their inventory as electric vehicles, there would need to be an increased consumer demand for electric vehicles.  “We’ve got 10 years to go from 35%, to 100%. Where are we right now? 12%,” said Matt Cota, representative of the Vermont Vehicle and Automotive Distributors Association, during a VDC last month. 

See all bills assigned to the House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure here. Constituents may contact committee members (click link on name for bio, party affiliation, etc.) with comments, questions and information at the following email addresses: 

All committee transcripts are available at www.goldendomevt.com. Committee meeting video available at the committee’s YouTube channel. Or you can attend in person they meet in room 32.