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Read. Follow. Verify.Vermont Proposes Eight-Year Moratorium on State Climate Laws and Renewable Energy Mandates
Last action · January 23, 2026: Read first time and referred to the Committee on Energy and Digital InfrastructureSponsor: Michael Tagliavia
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What This Bill Would Do
Vermont House Bill 767 proposes an eight-year moratorium on the implementation and enforcement of multiple state climate change laws, including the , the , and the , effective upon passage.
Pausing these environmental regulations is intended to avoid projected ratepayer cost increases, fuel surcharges, and program expenses totaling millions of dollars while freezing new land use restrictions and emissions targets.
- The General Assembly is the state legislature of Vermont responsible for enacting statutes and establishing state policy. context
- Vermont enacted the Global Warming Solutions Act and the Renewable Energy Standard to establish mandatory greenhouse gas reduction benchmarks and utility clean energy procurement targets. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Vermonters
Residents experience a pause in fuel surcharges, heating transition requirements, and electricity rate increases tied to the targeted climate and energy standards.
Utilities
Utility providers are prohibited from increasing renewable procurement targets or passing new compliance costs onto consumers for eight years.
Housing developers
Housing projects are exempt from new land use restrictions and planning requirements under Act 59 and Act 181 during the moratorium.
Key Facts
- An eight-year moratorium is imposed on the implementation, enforcement, and new regulations under 2023 Acts and Resolves No. 59, effective upon passage.
- An eight-year moratorium is imposed on 2024 Acts and Resolves No. 181, suspending future land use map revisions and Land Use Review Board operations regarding housing.
- An eight-year moratorium is established for new mandates or enforcement actions under the Global Warming Solutions Act that impact housing costs or energy affordability.
- An eight-year moratorium prohibits new mandates, renewable procurement target increases, or enforcement actions under the Renewable Energy Standard.
Show all 9 facts
- An eight-year moratorium pauses the Clean Heat Standard, including carbon credit systems, fuel surcharges, and transition requirements.
- The Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Housing and Community Development, and Public Utility Commission must study the impacts of the moratoria and report to the General Assembly by January 15, 2034.
- The comprehensive study required by the act is projected to cost approximately $200,000.
- The moratorium on the Clean Heat Standard avoids up to $956 million in program-related costs, with avoided fuel surcharges starting at $0.08 per gallon in 2026 and increasing to $0.58 per gallon.
- The moratorium on the Renewable Energy Standard avoids potential ratepayer cost increases estimated between $150 million and $450 million from 2025 to 2035.
Frequently Asked Questions
What laws are paused by House Bill 767?
When does the moratorium take effect?
Who is required to conduct the study on the effects of the moratoria?
What else do you want to know?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 23, 2026HouseIntroducedRead first time and referred to the Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Comprehensive Pause on Climate Statutes
The bill represents a broad legislative effort to halt multiple interconnected climate and land-use statutes simultaneously for an extended eight-year period.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.vermont.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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