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Agency tells committee H740 needs $500,000 in base funding and two staff to run greenhouse-gas reporting
Summary
Agency of Natural Resources testified H740 as drafted (one position, $300,000 one-time) is insufficient; ANR recommends $500,000 in base funding and two positions (one to start, second in year two) plus platform costs to run a transportation and RCI-sector greenhouse-gas reporting program.
The Senate Natural Resources & Energy committee examined H740, a bill to establish a greenhouse-gas reporting program. Agency of Natural Resources officials told the committee the current draft would not supply the staffing or ongoing funding necessary to operate the program at the proposed scope.
Billy Hoster, director of policy and planning for ANR, told committee members the bill as drafted included one limited-service position and a one-time $300,000 appropriation for FY27. Hoster said ANR’s analysis, informed by other states’ programs, shows a minimum need of $500,000 in base funding and two permanent positions: one to begin initial program setup and a second in the program’s second year to support compliance and data verification.
"We need $500,000 in base funding and we need two positions," Hoster said, adding that without an explicit long-term funding commitment the agency could not responsibly invest in data systems or hire staff. He described the $300,000 figure in the current draft as insufficient for startup and short-term operations.
Committee members asked whether ANR could begin work on a smaller appropriation or phase platform costs. Hoster said Secretary-level guidance has been that the agency requires $500,000 in base funding, and that the agency would prefer contingency language in the bill making program work contingent on the appropriation being available rather than beginning partial operations with uncertain funding.
Supporters told the committee the program is foundational to local and regional planning. Johanna Miller, lead for the energy and climate program at the Vermont Natural Resources Council and a member of the Climate Council, testified that regional planning commissions and town energy committees currently rely on modeled estimates for transportation and heating fuels and would benefit from granular data the reporting program would provide.
The committee discussed options including phasing platform work, carrying forward one-time funds, and adding explicit contingency language in the appropriation; no final funding decision was made at the hearing.
The committee plans to revisit H740 language and appropriation details in future sessions.
