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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
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Categories: Commentary, Energy, Legislation
The horse is dead, quit beating it!
Sibilia is a shill and a liar and always has been. If she’s for something you can bet it’s bad for Vermonters and when she says no, she is really saying yes.
Those with ears to hear…. God bless her!
What Representative Sibilia said to her colleagues is what is going to happen. Democrats are owned by the “save the planet cult” and they have the votes to send H. 740 to Governor Scott. He will veto it and the Democrats will override it. H. 470 becomes law and the next General Assembly will enact the primary recommendations of the Climate Council’s recent climate action plan. Clean heat standard (or whatever they will call it) will raise my oil price and I live in a log home–no drywall and no heat pump. I will be paying an extra mandated dollar or more to save the planet.
My only salvation is Vermont electing three more Republican Senators. This Sweet Sixteen Republican Senate Majority can block those GWSA bills from Senate floor debate. It can amend House bills, send its bills to the House, appoint Senate Committee Chairs and serve as a check and balance to the Democratic Majority…A Bi-Partisan legislature.
That won’t happen until every Republican legislator gets involved, in their county to win elections. There is not enough time to organize a grass-roots effort to elect more Republicans to the Senate in an off-year election in which national politics is shifting towards hating Republican candidates. We need cross-over voters and particularly young adults who will inherit the damage the Democrats will enact.
The campaign will need about a million dollars to support incumbent Republican Senators and electing three more. There are sources that will make this happen when we focus on the threat voters can attack.
You will hear more about this, as the State-wide Sweet Sixteen Campaign arrives.
Other than the fact that gun ownership is enshrined as a “right” in the Constitution, this sounds a lot like gun registrations. To take something away, first you create a registry of who has what .
Patrick, this is her telling all Vermonters she has the votes to enact just about anything to save the planet. Clean heat standard will be enacted in 2027 or 2028.
Unless…..we elect three more Republican Senators and create a Republican Senate Majority. We can do this if the Republican legislators get behind that idea.