Clean Heat Standard 2.0 advances
Vermont’s House voted to advance ‘Clean Heat Standard 2.0,’ a step toward a cap‑and‑invest carbon pricing tool intended to reduce heating emissions while triggering debates over equity and affordability. The near party‑line move sets up implementation fights where climate‑justice advocates will push for protections for low‑income and rural households. (vermontdailychronicle.com)
House roll-call shows the amendment to H.740 passed the House on March 24, 2026 by 82 yeas, 56 nays, with 10 members absent. (legislature.vermont.gov) H.740 is filed as “An act relating to the greenhouse gas inventory and registry” and lists Rep. Kathleen James as sponsor; the bill record shows it moving through the House Energy and Appropriations process in March 2026. (trackbill.com) The Vermont Public Utility Commission’s Second Checkback Report estimated the Clean Heat mechanism would raise heating‑fuel costs by about $0.08 per gallon in year one and roughly $0.58 per gallon by year ten. (puc.vermont.gov) PUC chair Ed McNamara and the commission advised the Legislature that, despite revised lower cost estimates, the commission recommended the state not move forward with the Clean Heat Standard as designed. (vtdigger.org) The Clean Heat Standard Equity Advisory Group adopted a unanimous final report on January 7, 2025 finding the program “is likely to increase fuel costs” in the short term and calling for “substantial investments in companion programs” to protect Vermonters of color, low‑ and moderate‑income households, renters, and mobile‑home residents. (legislature.vermont.gov) Critics in the House framed H.740 as a foundational step toward a cap‑and‑invest program and a “back door” carbon pricing scheme for heating and transportation fuels, language that surfaced repeatedly in Republican floor comments and local commentary during March floor debate. (vermontdailychronicle.com) The Joint Fiscal Office has produced a fiscal note for H.740 and the State Treasurer Mike Pieciak submitted a letter of support on February 25, 2026 urging establishment of comprehensive greenhouse‑gas reporting as a possible precursor to future cap‑and‑invest options. (ljfo.vermont.gov)
