A vote for H.740 in 2026 is a vote for the CHS in 2027!
by Rob Roper
Going into the November 2026 elections, Vermont Democrats are eager to impress voters with the notion that the Clean Heat Standard, the “Rube Goldberg” carbon tax scheme they passed over the veto of Governor Scott in 2024, is dead and gone. A bad but fading memory to be hopefully forgotten about by this coming fall.
Furthering this deception – for deception it is – when asked if H.740, a bill that would establish a fuel dealer’s registry, a key component of the Clean Heat Standard, was a “resurrection” of the Clean Heat Standard, Rep. Kathleen James (D-Manchester) the chair of the House Energy & Digital Infrastructure gave a truly dramatic, Oscar-worthy response.
“Oh, gosh. Not at all!” said James. And then after a few seconds of stuttering and stammering over what to say next, came out with, “I just want to emphasize this is not even remotely a reincarnation of the Clean Heat Standard.” Uh huh.
It’s not a full resurrection. What H.740 is is the “foundational” first step toward enacting the Clean Heat Standard after the November 2026 elections. Lest we forget, Act 18 – the law establishing a Clean Heat Standard for Vermont – remains on the books, and those same Democrats who insist it’s not happening refuse to consider votes to repeal it. Why do you think that is?
Well, Rep. Laura Sibilia (I-Dover), the Ranking Member on James’ committee and perhaps the biggest booster of the Clean Heat Standard, spilled the beans, let the cat out of the bag, dropped the dime on the real agenda in an interview for Climate Dispatch.
Speaking about the goals of set out in the Global Warming Solutions Act, the Clean Heat Standard, and others related policies, Sibilia insisted, “… and this bill [H.740] will really be helpful for MAKING SURE WE CAN ENACT THOSE POLICIES accurately. So, THAT’S A HIGH PRIORITY.” (Emphasis maybe in the original? She was pretty animated in the interview.)
Rewind and repeat: “MAKING SURE WE CAN ENACT (echo effect: ENACT… ENACT… ENACT…) THOSE POLICIES” and “THAT’S A HIGH PRIORITY.”
And just to put an exclamation point on this Dan Fingas, the Executive Director for Vermont Conservation Voters, chimed in, “And it’s [H.740] so crucial. It’s foundational. We can’t make the policies without good data.”
Foundational. That’s the key word here. Foundational for what? The purpose of building a foundation is to build something on top of it, and H.740 is the foundation upon which these lawmakers – Sibilia, James, and all the rest of them — intend to build the Clean Heat Standard or a Cap and Invest program, or some other similar scheme to add a tax, fee, surcharge, or whatever they end up calling it to drive up the cost of home heating and transportation fuels.
So, as this “foundational” bill makes its way through the legislative process, be aware that a vote for H.740 in 2026 is a vote for the Clean Heat Standard or some similarly unaffordable re-named policy clone in 2027, after the November elections.
Rob Roper is a freelance writer who has been involved with Vermont politics and policy for over 20 years. This article reprinted with permission from Behind the Lines: Rob Roper on Vermont Politics, robertroper.substack.com