By Vermont Senator Anne Watson
In a recent op-ed about the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), Vermont’s cornerstone climate policy, Secretary Julie Moore accused legislative leadership of being “content” with “unattainable” climate pollution reduction requirements. As chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, I feel compelled to respond, as I would not describe us as “content” with the current situation.
Earlier this year, I presented the administration with a potential path forward — an offer that still stands. But before I get into the details, let’s clarify one important point. The next major GWSA deadline isn’t tomorrow. It’s in 2030—five years from now. Five years to act. Five years to take meaningful steps toward reducing climate pollution, which will ultimately save Vermonters a significant amount of money.
Unfortunately, based on the pattern we’ve seen, I don’t believe Governor Scott will do what’s necessary. Instead, he’ll continue to do what he has done on climate: stall, resist, and let the legislature do the heavy lifting— only to blame us when we propose real solutions that would lead Vermont toward a cheaper, more sustainable, and resilient energy future.
I’m interested in solutions, and I believe Vermonters are too. It’s unclear to me how interested the governor is in finding solutions. By 2030, Governor Scott will have had an entire decade to implement policies to meet our climate targets. While I recognize and appreciate his support for the Clean Cars and Trucks Rules, that alone falls short of what this moment demands. Unfortunately, it remains unclear what further policies the governor is actually willing to support. The governor’s package of climate rollbacks (H.289) requires an “implementation strategy” for reducing climate pollution—but it’s not due until December 2026, after this biennium is over and, conveniently, after the next election.
Just to clarify, the governor doesn’t need a new bill to make an implementation plan. We already have an actual law: the Global Warming Solutions Act. If Scott wasn’t willing to act based on the directive of current state law, it’s difficult to trust that a new law would compel him to do so.
That’s why I proposed the following path forward. First, the governor must identify and commit to a real strategy that moves us meaningfully and substantially toward the 2030 pollution reduction requirement and gets Vermonters to the cheaper, more price-stable, more self-sufficient, and resilient future that we all want. Second, the governor should roll it out and start implementation in 2026 or 2027. Third, prove to us it’s working in 2027 or 2028. Then, and only then, we can talk about recalibrating the timeline, choosing a slightly delayed deadline year with a pollution reduction requirement that follows the curve downward, which would maintain accountability.
This offer remains, but the first step must come from the governor. I’m ready to listen and work together if he has a meaningful plan for getting Vermont back on track. In the vast majority of cases, the renewable option is cheaper than the fossil fuel alternative. If Governor Scott is serious about energy affordability, he’d find a way to transition Vermonters off expensive, price-volatile, foreign fossil fuels.
What’s concerning is the governor’s continued pattern of resistance and a lack of initiative, even as energy costs fluctuate and the need to transition off fossil fuels becomes more urgent.
This moment calls for leadership that embraces both the financial and scientific realities before us. The affordable, resilient energy future Vermonters need is within reach, but only if we’re willing to take bold, concrete steps.
Governor Scott, Vermont needs you to bring forward a serious, actionable climate plan that gets us back on track toward necessary climate pollution reductions, that gets us back on the path toward energy affordability. If you do, I’ll be the first to recognize and support that effort. But in the absence of such a plan, we must stay the course for the 2030 deadline.
We all want a future in which energy is cheap, locally produced, and not polluting our planet, and we need leadership that will get us there.
