A major environmental organization is suing
A major environmental organization is suing the state of Vermont for failing to meet legally mandated pollution reduction goals. The Conservation Law Foundation is suing the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, alleging that the state is not on track to meet climate benchmarks. The Conservation Law Foundation is taking Vermont to task, alleging it’s misrepresenting its carbon emission data. The CLF claims the state is showing it’s on track to meet an upcoming pollution reduction goal in 2025 when it actually isn’t. The lawsuit– which is not seeking money as damages– is aimed at forcing the state to accelerate its carbon-cutting efforts. In 2020, state lawmakers overrode Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of the Global Warming Solutions Act which requires we reduce our pollution to strict standards or face a lawsuit: pollution to 26% below 2005 levels by 2025, 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. The CLF put the state on notice this summer but just filed the lawsuit in Washington County Superior Court on Tuesday.