The 2025 legislative session has concluded, and thus, so has this season of the Democracy Dispatch.
Joining me on the podcast is our executive director, Dan Fingas. We discuss the outcomes of the 2025 legislative session in Vermont, focusing on climate, environmental, and democracy legislation. Listen in as we highlight key wins, such as the ban on PFAS in various products, advancements in clean energy, and new protections for biodiversity. The conversation also covers challenges faced, including attempts to repeal foundational climate laws and the importance of accountability in our work. Looking ahead, we discuss the groundwork being laid for future sessions and emerging issues that may gain traction.
Even though the podcast has wrapped, we will still be here. In fact, we’ve got big plans throughout the summer and fall to be out in communities having conversations about what matters most to you all as we prepare for the 2026 legislative session and election. Kicking it right off is this weekend’s No Kings Rally & Protest in Burlington, where team members will be on-hand participating.
No Kings is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies. We’ve watched as they’ve cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political views, threatened to deport American citizens, and defied the courts. They’ve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies. You can RSVP for the Burlington protest (the largest planned protest in VT) or find another gathering in your local community here.
| Without more public uproar, the Republican Senate is poised to pass the President’s catastrophic reconciliation package. If passed, the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” would not only be the largest upward transfer of wealth in American history; it would essentially decimate the clean energy sector, the thousands of jobs it provides, and put us behind the rest of the world in creating a just energy economy that prioritizes the needs of the many over a few oil-barons.
If you’re looking for a way to get involved and make an impact, we have two great opportunities for you to do so: 1. Join us next Monday (6/16) from 3-5pm to patch Mainers through to Senator Susan Collins’ office directly. Last week we made over 3,000 calls and connected dozens of Mainers to Senator Collins. Sign up here to help us keep up the pressure with our friends at Maine Conservation Voters. 2. Join us next Tuesday (6/17) from 6-7:30pm with our national partner, the League of Conservation Voters, to patch-through concerned constituents to swing Senators across the country and demand that they fix this bill or kill it. Sign up here to mobilize Americans of all stripes against this dangerous bill. |
Hope to see you out there making your voices heard,
Justin Marsh, Political Director
Vermont Conservation Voters
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