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Vermont Chamber of Commerce outlines business priorities to Natural Resources & Energy Committee
Summary
Representatives of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce briefed the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee on Jan. 15 about the chamber’s statewide membership, priorities on workforce, manufacturing and housing, and interest in industry‑aware energy and land‑use policy.
Megan Sullivan, vice president of government affairs for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and Jeremy Little, the chamber’s policy and outreach associate, introduced the organization to the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee on Jan. 15 and summarized business priorities the group plans to raise this session.
Sullivan told the committee the Vermont Chamber is the largest statewide business association and represents a membership split across tourism and hospitality, manufacturing and professional services. She said the chamber’s priorities this year include affordability for businesses, workforce and demographic challenges, and housing and infrastructure that affect employers’ ability to recruit and retain workers. Sullivan said the chamber’s related work includes an affiliated Vermont Futures Project that produces research and an economic action plan.
Jeremy Little described the chamber’s outreach, including an internship program that places student interns from Vermont colleges in state offices and policy settings; Sullivan and Little said the chamber will continue participation in Act 250 and related stakeholder discussions about land use and development.
Chamber leaders urged the committee to consider the needs of commercial and industrial energy users — which they said include manufacturers with different fuel and process requirements than residential customers — as the Legislature discusses energy affordability and incentives. They offered to help arrange facility tours of manufacturing sites and said they will continue to supply data to inform policy debates.
No committee action resulted from the presentation; the chamber said it will remain engaged in working groups and follow up with legislators on specific proposals.
