News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Rob Roper 
State Sen. wants constituents to pay for her policy failures In a recent VT Digger article with the misleading headline, “Clean Heat Standard is Dead. What comes next?” (It’s not, it’s just temporarily dormant until it can be fully implemented), Senator Anne Watson (D/P -Washington) expressed her hope and desire that the state be sued … Read more
The state will start deducting 5% of some workers’ wages unless they actively opt out of VT Saves In 2023, the Vermont legislature passed a law spearheaded by Vermont State Treasurer Mike Piecack (D-VT), Act 43 – An act relating to the establishment of VT Saves. What it does is mandate that employers with more … Read more
I’ve spent a lot of time discussing the Clean Heat Standard and Cap & Invest proposals to meet the mandates of the Global Warming Solutions Act, and have noted often but perhaps too obscurely in passing that even these monumentally expensive and disruptive programs won’t, on their own, do the job. Other programs, each with … Read more
When the legislature was voting on H.454, I was, while painting my house (fun!), listening to an audiobook on the battle of Gettysburg. And I can’t help but notice some unfortunate parallels for Republicans with their vote on that bill and Pickett’s Charge, the infamous suicidal attack by the Army of Northern Virginia over a … Read more
As the Vermont Climate Council punches away at a document that will, I assume, be heralded as “The Plan” (cue heavenly chorus) to meet the greenhouse gas reduction mandates of the Global Warming Solutions Act, I’m happy to say a few honest, semi-sane voices have emerged in their debate. Will the majority on the Council … Read more
In 2024, when Vermont property taxpayers were whacked with an average 14 percent year over year increase, with some communities seeing nearly 40 percent increases, nobody (or at least not enough) in the legislature asked if citizens could afford this. They just shrugged their shoulders and stuck us with the bill. Same as every year … Read more
The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2020 established the Climate Council and tasked it with developing a plan to meet the greenhouse gas reduction mandates outlined in that law. That was five years ago. Their first “plan,” released in December 2021, was/is, as I pointed out at the time, not a plan. It was/is an … Read more
Ronald Reagan once quipped that government is like a baby, an endless appetite on one end, and no discipline on the other. No place lives up to – or down to as the case may be — that analogy more so than Vermont. In case you missed it amongst all the hubbub and controversy surrounding … Read more
Last week, Senate President Pro Tem, Philip Baruth (D/P-Chittenden Central) decided to pull the education reform bill, H.454, off of the calendar where it was scheduled for a floor vote. He did this not because it wasn’t going to pass, but because it was – but with both Republican and Democrat votes. That was too … Read more
I’m speaking primarily to Republicans because the Democrats are not going to pay attention or care, or, if they do, buck their party leadership – just a quick reminder that back in November 2024, your voters didn’t go into the polls screaming, “We have too many school districts!” They weren’t calling on you to close … Read more
H.461—An act expanding employee access to unpaid leave passed both the House and Senate, its fate now in the hands of Governor Scott. Having failed to pass a taxpayer-funded paid family leave program, lawmakers pivoted to this new mandate on Vermont businesses that they provide up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave to care for themselves … Read more
And then there were none. This week, Governor Phil Scott (R-VT) signed an executive order delaying the implementation of the California Clean Cars & Trucks policies in Vermont for a year. This essentially puts an end to the last standing significant GWSA greenhouse gas reduction scheme hatched up by the Democrats and Progressives in the … Read more
A teachable moment (for others, not Bernie, who will never learn). Our senior senator made big news last week in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. When the anchor confronted Sanders about the $221,000 he and Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez have spent so far on private jets during their Fighting the Oligarchy tour, as … Read more
The latest clash between climate ideology and reality – the requirement in the Global Warming Solutions Act (2020) that Vermont adopt California’s Clean Cars and Clean Trucks standards – is coming to a head. So far reality has been racking up the victories with the Clean Heat Standard for home heating now lying “dormant” as … Read more
Vermont climate activists in the legislature and beyond continue to insist that their policies will ultimately save Vermonters money. How they reach this mathematically questionable conclusion (apart from the scenario where the politicians rob Peter to pay for Paul’s “free” weatherization project and installation of cold climate heat pumps in which case Paul certainly saves … Read more
As the 2025 legislative session winds its way toward the finish line, minority party Vermont Republicans are trying their best to act on the loud and clear message sent by voters last November in regard to such laws as the Clean Heat Carbon Tax, electric cars and trucks adoption mandates, mandates for more expensive renewable … Read more
The chair of the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee and Kool-Aid filled climate change religionist, recently penned an op-ed essentially calling on Governor Scott to clean up the catastrophic climate policy mess she and her party created – and blaming him for the mess. It’s a craven political Hail Mary. Let’s take her argument … Read more
A handful of Democrats presented their bill, H.376, which would increase the excise tax on liquor and the gallonage (turns out that’s a word) tax on wine and beer by an estimated total of $16 to $17 million on hard after-working Vermonters. This represents for beer and hard cider a whopping jump from 26¢ per … Read more
Deputy Secretary of State Lauren Hibbert testified before the House Appropriations Committee regarding a number of the office’s budget issues, including elections. Hibbert noted that historically, about 60 percent of Vermont’s $5 million yearly budget to run elections ($10 million for two-year election cycles) comes from federal grants, including those from the federal Help Americans … Read more
A throwaway line during a presentation on Vermont’s Climate Change agenda, how much it costs and how much money we’ll have for it in the future, stole the show this week. The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) was giving an overview of the OVER HALF A BILLION DOLLARS a year Vermonters spend on climate change … Read more