Vermont business groups tell House committee climate resilience and protection of Global Warming Solutions Act are essential to protect small employers

Representatives of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and three member companies told the Vermont House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on March 19 that preserving the Global Warming Solutions Act and increasing investments in resilience are essential to protect small businesses and the state economy.

Johanna de Grafenreid, public policy manager for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, told the committee that VBSR represents “600 plus members” from small and large companies across every county in Vermont and urged lawmakers to defend the state’s bedrock climate law as the state updates its Climate Action Plan and resilience strategy.

Why it matters: Witnesses said worsening storms and floods are already hitting Vermont employers, especially small businesses, and that resilience measures and state policy are needed to reduce future economic damage and keep firms open. Testimony combined first‑hand accounts of losses with statewide data and examples of local utility and private‑sector responses.

De Grafenreid emphasized statistics she said lawmakers should keep in mind: she cited Federal Emergency Management Agency figures, saying roughly 40% of small businesses do not reopen after a disaster, an additional 25% fail within a year of reopening, and that 75% of small businesses without continuity plans fail within three years of a disaster. She said VBSR is running training and preparedness work with partners including the Vermont Small Business Development Center to help firms build continuity plans and resilience.

Jen Kimmich, co‑founder and CEO of the Alchemist Brewery, described losing her original brewpub to Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and the practical limits businesses face after flooding. Kimmich said insurance and lenders blocked rebuilding below street level and that the company recovered only because a separate production facility was already coming online. “There is no amount that would have allowed us to reopen. The door closed on our pub with that storm,” she said.

Kimmich told the panel that weather‑related risks also threaten the Alchemist’s supply chain — water, hops and malt — and said the company supports “pragmatic legislation that will help build a cleaner and more sustainable Vermont.”

Amber Widmer, regulatory specialist at Burlington Electric Department, described municipal utility efforts to support electrification and grid capacity. Widmer said Burlington has been 100% renewable for its retail electricity sales since 2014 and is pursuing a net‑zero roadmap for transportation and thermal energy sectors, with plans to expand grid capacity following a revenue bond the utility put before voters last October. She told the committee that the bond — approved by nearly 80% of Burlington voters, according to her testimony — will increase the utility’s capacity from about 77 megawatts to about 90 megawatts to help accommodate electrification of transportation and heating.

Widmer also discussed customer incentives, saying the utility has issued nearly 1,000 incentives for plug‑in hybrids and electric vehicles and credited the state’s Energy Efficiency Modernization Act for enabling expanded incentive programs that accelerated uptake.

Emily Foster, director of People and Planet Impact at Burton Snowboards, framed climate effects on seasonal industries. Foster said Burton employs roughly 350 Vermonters and has seen insurance cost increases and supply‑chain disruptions tied to extreme weather. “It’s becoming more difficult to grow a profitable business on a failing planet,” she said, and described the company’s donations and community aid following recent floods.

De Grafenreid also reviewed disaster aid figures cited in testimony: she said Vermont received about $27.9 million in FEMA disaster assistance 30 days after the July 2023 floods and noted the Businesses Emergency Gap Assistance Program awarded $19.4 million to Vermont businesses and nonprofits in 2023; she said subsequent allocations included $7 million for businesses after the July floods and an additional $5 million for remaining damages from the same flooding episode.

Committee chair Representative Kathleen James invited written testimony from the witnesses; de Grafenreid said VBSR and its members will submit materials and encouraged the committee to consult specific businesses from affected districts when desired.

No formal action, motions or votes occurred on this item during the hearing; the session consisted of invited testimony and questions from committee members.

The testimony combined personal business experience, municipal utility planning and nonprofit advocacy as the committee continues work on the state Climate Action Plan and a resilience implementation strategy.

Looking ahead, witnesses asked lawmakers to preserve the Global Warming Solutions Act while the state finalizes its next Climate Action Plan and resilience strategy and to consider targeted investments and programs that can help small businesses prepare for and recover from extreme‑weather events.