Vermont governor signs EJ bill into law

Vermont Gov. Phil Scot has signed the state’s first environmental justice policy into law—joining several other New England states with similar legislation.

The new policy is designed to ease the burden on communities that face disproportionate impacts from environmental stressors such as pollution, natural disasters and the downsides of energy infrastructure or waste facilities.

“It is the policy of the state of Vermont that no segment of the population of the state should, because of its racial, cultural or economic makeup, bear a disproportionate share of environmental burdens or be denied an equitable share of environmental benefits,” the new law states.

The law will create two new advisory groups—an Advisory Council on Environmental Justice and an Interagency Environmental Justice Committee—which will be charged with guiding state agencies toward investing more in impacted communities, VTDigger.com reports.

It will also establish a new mapping tool overseen by the state’s Agency of Natural Resources that would identify communities where environmental burdens “have disproportionate impacts on Vermonters.” Similar methods have been deployed in 17 other states.

More than nine environmental groups across the state have voiced their support for the legislation since it was signed into law, with many providing input during the bill’s drafting process.

Mia Schultz, president of the Rutland Area NAACP, told Vermont Public Radio that the policy marks an important step forward for Vermont.

“It is indisputable that the harmful effects of climate change disproportionately affect marginalized communities, including BIPOC people,” Schultz says. “The principles of an environmental justice law acknowledge and address the injustices of civil rights and seek to rectify the exclusion of the most vulnerable and affected members of society.”