New analysis: Vermont’s fossil fuel spending remains high and state likely missed first Global Warming Solutions Act target

Energy Action Network Executive Director Jared Duvall told the Vermont House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on a presentation to the committee that statewide fossil fuel consumption has trended downward slowly while spending on fossil fuels has remained high.

"2024 was the third year in a row that statewide fossil fuel costs exceeded $2,000,000,000 for Vermont," Duvall said, and he summarized EAN's analysis of tax-department, utility and JFO data covering 2017–2024.

The report Duvall described looks at tax-department volumes for heating fuels (fuel oil and propane), sales for fossil gas reported by VGS, and gasoline and diesel data available through the Joint Fiscal Office. Duvall said EAN’s analysis shows both economic and emissions effects: the state has seen technology uptake but also large price volatility and a likely shortfall on the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) first milestone.

Why it matters: Duvall said the near-term cost and emissions picture affects household budgets and the state's ability to meet legally binding emission reductions. "Our estimate at EAN is that Vermont has seen a 16 to 21% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels as of 2024," he said, but added his organization’s early 2024 inventory estimate places statewide emissions between roughly 7.75 and 8.29 million metric tons — a level he described as "almost…