Senators review S.110 to shift Vermont to ‘net zero’ by 2035 and change climate council role

A Senate committee on Natural Resources & Energy reviewed S.110, a bill that would rework Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions framework and set a statewide goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. The bill would move some duties from the Climate Council to the Agency of Natural Resources and change several statutory deadlines to planning goals.

The bill’s presenter told the committee the measure would repeal the private right of action in the Global Warming Solutions Act, change the Renewable Energy Standard to a “clean energy” standard, and require the secretary of ANR to deliver an “aggressive and achievable timeline for achieving net-zero emissions across all sectors by 2035.” The presenter said the bill would make the climate council primarily advisory and add more executive-branch appointees to its membership.

Why it matters: The proposal would shift who carries out statutory tasks now performed by the Climate Council and remove…