Vermont Passes First 'Polluter Pays' Climate Superfund Act

May 30, 2024, 11:28 PM

Vermont has become the first state in the nation to pass a 'polluter pays' climate law, known as the Climate Superfund Act. The legislation, passed by a Democratic legislature and assented to by a Republican governor, will use attribution science to hold oil, gas, and coal companies accountable for damages associated with their emissions. The law aims to fund climate-adaptive infrastructure projects by imposing fees on fossil-fuel producers. This first-of-its-kind measure is expected to generate billions in revenue to address climate change damage, particularly in a state increasingly affected by extreme precipitation events in New England.