Northeast

Vermont

As one of the smallest states by population and area, Vermont has the lowest emissions of any state. However, net emissions have increased 417% from 1990-2022 due both to a 20% reduction in emissions absorbed by the land and an overall 8% gross increase in emissions across sectors, turning the state from a net emissions sink to a net emitter. Still, Vermont has the largest share of in-state renewable electricity generation in the country — between 99 and 100% every year since 2015, mostly from hydroelectric and biomass energy.

GHG Reduction Targets

All targets relative to 1990 levels

2025

26%

2030

40%

2050

80%

Governor

Phil Scott (Republican)

House Party

Democratic Majority

Senate Party

Democratic Majority

Legislative session

1/8/25 - 5/9/25

US Climate Alliance Status

Member

Key Offices & Links

35

Policies Enacted or In Progress

across 7 policy areas

See all

32

Policy Opportunities

across 7 policy areas

See all

Northeast

9 states

This map shows the occurrence of climate policies passed at the state-level. Higher numbers represent more climate policies enacted.

Compare with other states

Progress by Policy Area

Enacted Enacted policies have been passed or established in a state by a governing body via legislation, executive orders, rules, regulations, and/or other program creation, and remain in effect.
In-progress In progress policies have been established in a state, but final regulations, rules, or plans are pending final approval. This also includes legislation and executive orders that require regulations to be put into effect.
Partially Enacted Partially enacted policies have been enacted in the state, but are missing one or more policy components. Dashboard policies cannot be considered partially enacted unless policy components are available.
Not Enacted Not enacted policies have not been passed or established in the state or are no longer in effect.

Glossary of Terms

The colored bars indicate the status for each policy on the Dashboard, viewed across seven policy areas.

Status	Policy	Policy Area	Policy Category	Year Enacted
Enacted	Clean Energy and Renewable Portfolio Standards Empty column 63% renewable energy by 2025 \| 100% by 2030 for utilities serving at least 75,000 customers \| 100% by 2035 for utilities serving less than 75,000 customers Establishing Policies Act 179 (2024)	Electricity	Energy Plans and Targets	2024
Not Enacted	Electricity Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets Empty column Electricity greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets are set by a state to limit GHG emissions in the electricity sector. These targets aim to reduce emissions by different amounts over time, often expressed as percentage relative to a baseline year.	Electricity	Energy Plans and Targets
Enacted	Clean Energy Plans Empty column The Department of Public Service is required by 30 V.S.A. § 202b to update the Comprehensive Energy Plan every six years 2022 Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan Establishing Policies 30 V.S.A. § 202b (2014) 2022 Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan (2022)	Electricity	Energy Plans and Targets	2022
Enacted	Consolidated State Siting and Permitting Authority Empty column Vermont's Public Utilities Commission grants permits for all electricity generation facilities Establishing Policies 30 V.S.A. § 248	Electricity	Permitting and Grid Integration
Enacted	Interconnection Standards Empty column Vermont received a C grade from Freeing the Grid. Establishing Policies Freeing the Grid Vermont Grade (2023)	Electricity	Permitting and Grid Integration	2023
Not Enacted	Enabling ATTs and GETs Empty column Advanced transmission technologies (ATTs) and grid enhancing technologies (GETs) are a family of technologies that can enhance the capacity of the existing electrical transmission and distribution system. State policies that promote ATTs and GETs can be key to unlocking renewable energy development at lower cost and with shorter wait times.	Electricity	Permitting and Grid Integration
Partially Enacted	Net Metering Empty column The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled. Establishing Policies SPOT - Net Metering in Vermont SPOT - Aggregate Net Metering in Vermont Policy Components enacted enacted not-enacted not-enacted enacted not-enacted enacted enacted enacted enacted enacted 8/11	Electricity	Permitting and Grid Integration
Partially Enacted	Shared Renewables Empty column The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled. Establishing Policies SPOT - Shared Renewables in Vermont Policy Components enacted enacted enacted enacted not-enacted enacted 5/6	Electricity	Incentivizing Clean Energy Resources
Not Enacted	Community Choice Aggregation Empty column Community choice aggregation allows local governments to procure power on behalf of their residents, businesses, and municipal accounts from an alternative supplier while still receiving transmission and distribution service from their existing utility provider.	Electricity	Incentivizing Clean Energy Resources
Enacted	Distributed Generation Carve-out Empty column The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled. Establishing Policies SPOT – Generation Carve-outs in Vermont Policy Components enacted enacted enacted enacted enacted 5/5	Electricity	Incentivizing Clean Energy Resources
Not Enacted	Energy Storage Targets Empty column Energy storage targets establish procurement targets for energy storage systems by a certain date, often with interim targets. Targets can vary from broad megawatt (MW) requirements to more specific mandates that focus on the adoption of certain storage technologies.	Electricity	Incentivizing Clean Energy Resources
Not Enacted	Coal Phaseouts Empty column Coal phaseouts establish a target year by which states must end coal-fired power generation.	Electricity	Coal Retirement
Not Enacted	Coal Plant Securitization Empty column Coal securitization is a financing tool that allows utility companies to refinance debt they issued to build coal plants and close the facilities early without taking a financial hit or passing costs on to ratepayers.	Electricity	Coal Retirement

Vermont

Key Offices & Links

35

32

Northeast

Progress by Policy Area

Climate Governance and Equity

Cross-Sector

Electricity

Buildings and Efficiency

Transportation

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management

Natural and Working Lands

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections in Vermont

Climate Policies in Vermont