MONTPELIER — It’s time to repeal Act 18, the Clean Heat Standard!

The people have spoken with thousands of phone calls, emails, and buttonholing of politicians back in 2023, but the supermajority ignored us and passed the law anyway. 

Phil Scott’s veto pen has spoken twice in regard to the Clean Heat Standard, but the supermajority also ignored the most popular governor in the country and passed the law anyway.

The voters spoke in November 2024 throwing out a historic number of the party that supports this would-be tax/fee/surcharge on home heating oil, propane, kerosene, and natural gas, ending their supermajority, but not their majority. 

The Public Utilities Commission has spoken, declaring after 18 months working to stand up the Clean Heat Standard program that it is “not well suited for Vermont” and should not be implemented, but the supermajority refuses to even meaningfully discuss repealing the Clean Heat Standard, let alone take up and pass one of the multiple bills Republican lawmakers have submitted for that purpose. 

Vice Chair of the Senate Natural Resource and Energy Committee, Senator Terry Williams (R- Rutland) is on the front line working hard to ensure the Clean Heat Standard is eliminated and will not bring harm to Vermonters. Senator Williams introduced S.68 to repeal the Clean Heat Standard and Republican Senators have been trying to move this bill to help Vermont. When Williams led an effort to relieve his committee of S.68 and bring it to the full floor for a vote, Democrats defeated the repeal effort 17-13 on a party line vote. 

So, it now appears the people have to speak out again! 

Alison Despathy, an organizer of the March 12 Rally to Repeal the Clean Heat Standard, said, “The Clean Heat standard a/k/a the UNaffordable Heat Act and the Global Warming Solutions Act are a gross deviation from Vermonters’ culture of caring for each other, our communities, our environment and our local businesses. We need to repeal these destructive policies to ensure that Vermonters and our local economy are not attacked and punished with higher costs on basic necessities and living expenses.”

Judy Taranovich, owner of Proctor Gas, said, “The Clean Heat Standard is a financial disaster waiting to happen for working Vermonters. Our customers—many of whom are already struggling to afford heating fuel—will be forced to pay even more, just to comply with a bureaucratic system that doesn’t actually guarantee meaningful emissions reductions. The projected billion-dollar cost is staggering, and the 58-cent-per-gallon price increase will hit small businesses and fixed-income households the hardest. Instead of burdening local fuel dealers and our customers with complex credit schemes, the state should focus on practical solutions that improve efficiency without driving up the cost of living in this cold weather state.”

Representative Mark Higley (R-Lowell), who is lead sponsor of a bill to repeal the GWSA (H.62) and co-sponsor of bills that would repeal the CHS (H.16), said, “There have been many and will be more, severe weather events across Vermont, that have caused substantial damage to our homes, businesses, and infrastructure. Vermonters need to understand what our dollars are being used for regarding climate change initiatives, and what we are spending to harden our infrastructure and repair damage from these events. Can we continue to afford both? What are our mandates under the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) now and into the future?”

Rob Roper, another event organizer notes that, “The Democrats passed the Global Warming Solutions Act in 2020 mandating that we reach certain greenhouse gas reduction goals by 2025, 2030, and 2050. We’ve missed the 2025 goal, the 2030 goal is less than five years away, and still they have no plan – at least none they’re willing to move forward with –for how to tackle this. But they’ve set up Vermont taxpayers to be sued as a result of their own failure to act. If the Democrats in the House and Senate are not going to pass or implement programs that are designed to meet the GWSA targets, then they need to repeal the mandates. But allowing the state to be sued at taxpayer expense while they do nothing substantial to meet those legal obligations that they put in place is totally irresponsible.”  

And J.T. Dodge, founder of No Carbon Tax Vermont, a grassroots organization that has been fighting for eight years against costly climate policies, said, “We’re not asking for reconsideration—we’re demanding action. Vermonters can’t afford more costly mandates or difficult to explain hidden taxes masquerading as climate policy. It’s time to end the burdens and stop punishing the very people lawmakers claim to protect.” 

For more information, contact Alison Despathy at alison.despathy@gmail.com, 802-748-1487.