Vermont’s Republican governor has allowed the state to become the first to require oil companies to pay for “costs associated with climate change” without his signature, pushing the law through despite his hesitation about the policy.
S.259, passed by Gov. Phil Scott (R) on Thursday, will establish a method to assess the responsibility for greenhouse gas-related costs of any entity that was engaged in extracting fossil fuel or refining crude oil between December 31, 2019, and January 1, 2000.
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The law will create the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program at the Agency of Natural Resources, which will collect the money from the companies and allocate it to “climate change adaptive or resilient infrastructure projects in the state.”
“Pursuant to Chapter II, Section 11 of the Vermont Constitution, S.259, An act relating to climate change cost recovery, will become law without my signature,” Scott wrote in a press release.
The moderate Republican, who recently announced his bid for reelection, has been at political odds with the heavily blue state’s Democrat-controlled legislature. He was expected to veto the bill, but instead criticized it while pushing it through.
“Instead of