MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Gov. Phil Scott has vetoed a bill that would have created a clean heat standard for Vermont to help the state reduce emissions from heating buildings to meet the state’s climate change commitments.
Scott said in his veto message on Friday that the legislation does not include details on the costs and impacts, which he said he has repeatedly asked the Legislature to include.
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“I understand the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which is why I proposed a $216 million dollar climate package and why my administration has engaged in this policy conversation since January,” he said in a statement.
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“What the Legislature has passed is a bill that includes some policy, with absolutely no details on costs and impacts, and a lot of authority and policy making delegated to the Public Utility Commission (PUC), an unelected board,” he added.
Heating buildings makes up about 35% of Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions and is the state’s second largest source of emissions, after transportation, Vermont Public Radio reported.
