Vermont

Trump takes Vermont’s climate superfund law to court – VTDigger

Published

12 months ago

May 1, 2025

Trump takes Vermont’s climate superfund law to court – VTDigger

Attorney General Charity Clark speaks about small donation campaign finance reform during a press conference at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

The U.S. Department of Justice is challenging Vermont’s climate superfund law in court.

A complaint filed Thursday afternoon in the U.S. District Court of Vermont targets the law, arguing that the federal Clean Air Act and federal government’s power over foreign affairs preempt the state law, making it unconstitutional. The Department is asking the federal court to stop the law from being enforced.

“I’m always proud to represent Vermont, and I look forward to doing so in this case,” Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark wrote in an email. She also noted that the Department Justice has yet to formally serve the state with the lawsuit.

Thursday’s complaint follows an April executive order from President Donald Trump that tasked the U.S. Attorney General with exploring ways to block Vermont, New York and California’s climate laws.

Trump executive order targets Vermont’s first-in-the-nation ‘climate superfund’

The climate superfund law, Act 122, applies a polluters-pay framework, like a federal hazardous waste superfund, to the costs of climate damages — like flood recovery. Vermont was the first state in the nation to adopt this framework for climate disasters. In December, New York followed and adopted its own climate superfund bill.

The Justice Department also filed lawsuits against three other states, targeting actions that hold oil and gas companies accountable for the costs of climate damages, specifically New York state’s climate superfund, and Hawaii and Michigan’s lawsuits against fossil fuel companies, according to a Justice Department press release.

In its release, the Justice Department argues that these state actions “unreasonably burden domestic energy development” and put the US in a “national energy emergency.”

“I will just note that there is no national energy emergency,” Clark told VTDigger in April, after Trump issued the executive order. “American energy is at an all time high, and state laws are not a threat to American energy,” she said.

Make Polluters Pay, a national campaign that promotes laws and lawsuits that hold fossil fuel companies responsible for the costs of climate damages, called the four federal lawsuits against the states as “political theater, plain and simple,” as Cassidy DiPaola, the communications director said in a press release.

“This is not a surprise,” Paul Burns, the executive director of Vermont Public Interest Group said in a press release. VPIRG was instrumental in the construction and passage of the climate superfund law. “This lawsuit is one more instance of our billionaire president holding the fossil fuel industry in a warm embrace by giving Vermonters the finger.”

When Trump first filed his executive order targeting the Vermont law, Pat Parenteau, an emeritus professor at Vermont Law School’s Environmental Law Center, explained to VTDigger that the government was likely to argue that the federal Clean Air Act preempts the state law. But those claims ring hollow, he explained, since the federal law deals with the source of emissions, not payments for past emissions.

In April, Parentau explained that Vermont should be ready for a long legal battle, saying that the federal government and fossil fuel industry have deep pockets to prolong these lawsuits that aim to “bleed its opponents dry.”

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Vermont

Wrong-way driver stopped on I-89, charged with DUI

Published

9 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Wrong-way driver stopped on I-89, charged with DUI

BOLTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A wrong-way driver was safely stopped on Interstate 89 overnight Sunday.

Vermont State Police say just before 12:30 a.m., they stopped the car near marker 77, near Bolton.

The driver, Denise Lear, 60, of Revere, was charged with driving under the influence and gross negligent operation.

Lear is expected in court Monday.

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Vermont

Women’s Lacrosse Bested in Burlington by Vermont – University at Albany Great Danes

Published

21 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Women’s Lacrosse Bested in Burlington by Vermont – University at Albany Great Danes

Score: UAlbany 4, Vermont 14

Location: Virtue Field | Burlington, Vt.

Records: UAlbany (10-5, 5-1 America East) | Vermont (8-6, 4-1 America East)

Short Story: UAlbany women’s lacrosse fell to the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon.

Key Stats

Grace Cincebox recorded a total of 14 saves with 13 goals allowed for a .565 save percentage.

Ravan Marsell led the Great Danes with two points on one goal and one assist.

Four different UAlbany players scored in the contest.

Reggie Williams was the team’s leader with three ground balls.

Delilah Mile caused a team high three turnovers.

How It Happened

The Catamounts came out of the gates hard and heavy, scoring all three goals between both sides in the first quarter.

Vermont would take an 8-0 lead in the second quarter before Amanda Williamson found the back of the net on a women-down goal to put the Great Danes on the board and make it 8-1.

The Great Danes would allow one more goal in the first half to trail 9-1 after 30-minutes of play.

Grace Cincebox would enter the half with 10 saves.

Riley Forthofer started the Great Danes off in the second half to make it a 9-2 game, before Vermont put up three more goals to take a 12-2 lead entering the final quarter of play.

Mya Carroll and Ravan Marsell both scored on back-to-back free-position goals to make it a 12-4 game.

The Catamounts finished the game with two more goals to take the win 14-4.

Up Next
The Great Danes will next have a bye week and wait to see the outcome of next week’s Vermont vs UMass Lowell game to see who will host the America East Tournament.

Social Central: Stay up to date with UAlbany women’s lacrosse by following the team on Instagram (@UAlbanyWLax), Facebook (UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse), and X (@UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.

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Vermont

Vermont lands two cities in America’s top 15 happiest list

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Vermont lands two cities in America’s top 15 happiest list

Is creativity the missing key to better health?

Research suggests creative activities like art, music and crafts may benefit mental health as much as other key health habits.

Here’s another reason Vermont is the best New England state: It’s home to one of the top 5 happiest cities in the United States.

Plus, it has another within the top 15.

Massachusetts, on the other hand, doesn’t even break the top 50. Nor, does Connecticut or Rhode Island.

The personal finance website analyzed 182 of the largest cities in the country, and ranked Boston 63rd overall. Although the city is home to some of the nation’s top universities, high-ranking hospitals, and well-regarded companies, it didn’t break the top 50.

To get the rankings, WalletHub compared the cities using 29 metrics, including life-satisfaction index, depression rate, poverty rate, job security, and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and cities were assigned an overall happiness score.

Here’s a look at how the cities ranked.

South Burlington is No. 4 happiest city, Burlington is No. 11

South Burlington came on top for Vermont in WalletHub’s list of the happiest cities in the United States, ranking at No. 4. In scored very high for emotional and physical well-being coming in at the No. 4 spot, which made up for coming in No. 48 for community and environment. It was No. 9 for income and employment ranking. That gave it a total happiness of score of 70.15

Burlington wasn’t far behind at all, taking the No. 11 spot on the list and a happiness score of 67.54. It’s highest score was for income and employment ranking where it came second. It ranked No. 13 for community and environment and No. 21 for emotional and physical well-being.