Environment

Vermont enacts groundbreaking climate superfund law targeting fossil fuel companies

The success of the first-in–the-nation legislation could affect future state efforts.
A small tractor clears water from a business as flood waters block a street, July 12, 2023, in Barre, Vt. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, file)

Fossil fuel companies working in Vermont will have to pay into a fund to cover the cost of climate change mitigation under first-in-the-nation legislation Gov. Phil Scott (R) allowed to become law without his signature.

The stakes are high: Scott warned that if the tiny state isn’t successful in this effort to take on oil and gas interests, it could hinder other — better positioned — states’ efforts to do so.

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