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Democracy Dispatch Podcast
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Preserving Home in the Era of Climate Change
Legislative Intern, Sereena Knight, hosts as she invites residents of Wolcott, Brandon, and Cavendish – three towns across different regions and watersheds of Vermont – to share about what “home” means to them along the state’s rivers and how they’ve been impacted by climate change.
Meet the Democratic Candidates for Lieutenant Governor
This week’s episode is an audio recording of the Lieutenant Governor’s forum we held two weeks ago in Rutland. This is your chance to hear how the three candidates for the Democratic Primary – Esther Charlestin, Molly Gray, and Ryan McLaren – answered a range of questions on critical issues, such as cost of living, civil rights, and democracy.
When the Trees Came Back
In the late 1800s, Vermont was a very different place. Its hills were largely cleared, its soils exhausted, and its economy struggling under the weight of overused land. In When the Trees Came Back: The Great Battle to Save Vermont’s Forests, retired judge and historian Bob Mello tells the story of how Vermonters confronted that crisis and how the state’s forests slowly returned.
Toxics Reform Round-up: Artificial Turf and Metals in Baby Food
Vermont has led the way on toxics reform for decades. We’ve continued to build upon legislation at the vanguard, whether it’s banning fracking, single-use plastic bags, or the sale of consumer products containing PFAs – harmful “forever chemicals”. Last biennium, we worked on a policy that added banning artificial turf with PFAs to the list. Now that legislation is showing up directly in the community of Hinesburg, where there is a proposal to install artificial turf at the state’s largest high school.
Why Vermont’s Wind Energy Development has Withered
For a time, Vermont was building wind. Several projects brought renewable, in-state energy online, powering tens of thousands of homes and helping diversify our electricity mix. At one point, wind was poised to play a much larger role in Vermont’s clean energy future. But over a decade ago, that momentum stalled. No new utility-scale wind projects have been built since. So what happened?
Act 181 and Vermont’s Land Use Policy
Last week, one of the most debated policies in the Senate was S.325, a bill that was crafted to adjust components of Act 181 – last biennium’s Act 250 land use reform policy. As debate has ramped up both inside the building and out, it seemed like perfect timing to take a closer look at one of the most consequential policy conversations happening in Vermont right now. It’s all about protecting critical natural resources and addressing the state’s housing crisis all at once.