Vermont’s Proposed Climate Superfund Bill

This proposed 2024 bill imposes a one-time fee on major fossil fuel producers responsible for more than a billion metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution from 2000 through 2019. The funds collected through the program would go toward climate adaptation and resiliency projects to be determined by the state’s Agency of Natural Resources. While the bill does not peg a specific dollar amount for its overall cost-recovery demand—a task it leaves up to the state treasurer to determine—an initial rough estimate from the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) suggests the figure could be around $2.5 billion.