Vermont H 767: An act relating to adding electric vehicle supply equipment to Vermont’s energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment

Bill Text

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H.767 1
Introduced by Representative Tagliavia of Corinth 2
Referred to Committee on 3
Date: 4
Subject: Conservation and development; climate change; air pollution; 5
renewable energy; land conservation; Act 250; future land use maps; 6
Renewable Energy Standard; Clean Heat Standard 7
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to pause 8
multiple climate-change-related laws for eight years. 9
An act relating to moratoria on climate change programs 10
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 11
* * * Findings and Purpose * * * 12
Sec. 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE 13
(a) The General Assembly finds that: 14
(1) 2023 Acts and Resolves No. 59 and 2024 Acts and Resolves No. 181 15
have imposed regulatory burdens that may increase housing costs and limit 16
development opportunities, infringing on private property rights by overriding 17
individual landowner’s decisions and local control. 18
(2) The Global Warming Solutions Act establishes emissions reduction 19
targets that could lead to higher energy costs through mandated transitions to 20

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cleaner energy sources, restricting individual rights to choose affordable 1
energy options and violating private property rights through enforced 2
compliance. 3
(3) The Renewable Energy Standard established in 30 V.S.A. chapter 89 4
requires utilities to procure increasing percentages of electricity from 5
renewable sources, aiming for 100 percent by 2030 or 2035 depending on the 6
utility, which may result in higher electricity rates and program costs for 7
ratepayers, burdening individuals and property owners with unnecessary 8
expenses. 9
(4) The Clean Heat Standard aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 10
from heating fuels but may result in increased costs for heating and energy for 11
households with low and moderate income, limiting personal freedoms in 12
energy consumption. 13
(5) These acts, while intended to promote environmental sustainability, 14
may inadvertently exacerbate affordability challenges in housing and energy, 15
particularly in rural areas of Vermont, and encroach on fundamental individual 16
rights to economic self-determination and private property use. 17
(6) A temporary moratorium is necessary to evaluate the cumulative 18
impacts on housing availability, energy affordability, and overall costs to 19
Vermonters, allowing time for alternative approaches that balance 20

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environmental goals with economic realities, while safeguarding private 1
property rights against regulatory overreach. 2
(7) On September 17, 2025, Governor Phil Scott issued Executive Order 3
06-25, which promotes housing construction and rehabilitation by directing 4
State agencies to streamline permitting processes, reduce or defer fees for 5
multifamily housing, adjust building energy standards such as the Residential 6
Building Energy Standards (RBES) and Commercial Building Energy 7
Standards (CBES) to mitigate cost impacts, identify and resolve regulatory 8
barriers, and provide monthly performance reports on permit processing times 9
and housing project approvals. This order addresses housing affordability by 10
aiming to lower development costs and accelerate the production of needed 11
housing units, with Vermont requiring approximately 40,000 new homes by 12
2030, particularly for renters who often spend over 50 percent of their income 13
on housing. However, the Executive Order’s focus on administrative reforms 14
does not fully mitigate the statutory burdens imposed by the targeted acts, 15
necessitating this legislative moratorium to pause additional cost drivers and 16
allow for a comprehensive evaluation of combined impacts, including 17
protections for individual and property rights. 18
(8) Scientific evidence from the CO2 Coalition indicates that higher 19
CO2 levels, such as doubling to 800 ppm, would boost plant growth by 40–46 20
percent, enhancing Vermont’s agricultural output, such as dairy and maple, and 21

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drought resistance, countering mandates that treat CO2 solely as a pollutant 1
and infringe on individual rights to benefit from natural processes. 2
(9) Physicist William Happer’s analyses show CO2 is essential for life, 3
with benefits like improved crop efficiency and minimal warming (1°C per 4
doubling), outweighing costs in rural economies like Vermont’s, and saturation 5
physics demonstrates no dangerous warming from greenhouse gases, 6
supporting the protection of individual rights against unfounded regulatory 7
restrictions. 8
(10) Energy analyses by Peter Clack reveal decarbonization adds 9
billions in costs, such as $275 trillion globally by 2050 for net zero 10
infrastructure, without acknowledging CO2’s role in affordable energy and 11
ecosystem