Group of lawmakers plans to push climate legislation

By Associated Press - Thursday, December 12, 2019

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A group of lawmakers plans to push ahead with legislation in the next session to reduce Vermont’s carbon emissions.

Members of the Legislature’s Climate Solutions Caucus held public forums around the state in recent weeks to speak with residents about how they want to see climate change addressed at the Statehouse, Vermont Public Radio reported Wednesday.

Democratic Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas said the final priority for the group is to make the state’s emissions reduction goals legally binding.

“We have had aspirational goals in statute for many years, and unfortunately, those greenhouse gas reduction goals have been blown through time and time again, because there is really nothing in statute that requires that we sit down and do the hard work of figuring out how to do that,” she said.

Their proposal to reduce Vermont’s carbon emissions will touch on four categories: transportation, energy-efficient building practices, renewable energy and accountability.

Copeland Hanzas said a state-level carbon tax will not be one of the resolutions the group pursues because it would need to be implemented on a broader scale.

“That’s not something that we would look to do in Vermont on its own,” she said.