Core Issues

Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) advocates for legislation that will ensure Vermont offers a bright future for our children and grandchildren. Our vision for a bright future for Vermont includes working to advance and defend policies that protect the environment and promote health, while advancing civil rights, social, economic, and racial justice, and strengthening our democracy.

Each year, VCV publishes the Vermont Environmental Common Agenda of legislative priorities. This Agenda represents the priorities of a range of organizations across Vermont working on matters affecting our shared natural resources, the character of our communities, and the health of Vermonters.

The 2022 Common Agenda recognizes that we are in a time of profound challenges and historic opportunities. Our communities are being stressed by the ongoing pandemic, which is exacerbating problems and inequities in many systems we rely on, including public health, education, and childcare. These strains are further contributing to the housing crisis, food insecurity, workforce shortages, racial injustice, and more.

At the same time, due to an influx of federal funding, Vermont has unprecedented resources that we can invest in rebuilding healthier, more equitable, and more resilient communities in all corners of our state.

The policy priorities identified in the 2022 Environmental Common Agenda seek to address many systemic challenges we face, and put us on a path to a more sustainable, healthy, and prosperous future. We must build on the hard work put into developing the Climate Action Plan. Many of the steps identified in the plan can help Vermonters and local businesses save on their energy bills, build more equitable communities, reduce pollution, invest in natural solutions, protect wildlife habitat, improve public health, strengthen our communities’ resilience to extreme weather, and train a workforce for the 21st century.

Specifically, we are calling on lawmakers to:

Move forward the Climate Action Plan, with equity prioritized:
- Implement strategies to dramatically reduce climate pollution, including investing at least $150 million in FY23 in climate solutions; enacting the Transportation Innovation Act; and advancing a Clean Heat Standard and weatherization for all.
- Adopt an Environmental Justice law that would take steps to ensure that no segment of the population should suffer disproportionate environmental harm or lack access to environmental benefits.
- Implement strategies to improve our communities’ climate resilience, including incentivizing additional housing in smart growth locations while better protecting our forests, farms, wetlands, waters and other vital natural resources.
Protect public health by reducing people’s exposure to PFAS and other toxic chemicals in cosmetics, hold toxic polluters accountable, and cut plastic pollution.
Promote a healthy democracy.