What is Vermont willing to pay to make big oil pay?

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) — What is Vermont willing to pay to make big oil pay? The state’s climate superfund law that aims to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in climate change has put Vermont in the crosshairs of lawsuits from those companies, and now from the Trump administration.

The state’s top lawyer says she’s going to bat for this law. But others aren’t sure it’s worth the long legal fight.

Vermont’s first-in-the-nation law aims to help the small state pay big bills from severe storms driven by climate change.

Advocates say fossil fuel producers should pay for flood damage, around $1 billion in 2023 alone.

“These are bills that are going to have to be paid, and it’s the question of whether it’s the Vermont taxpayer or the fossil fuel industry that caused the problem to begin with,” said Paul Burns of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

But the Trump administration says the state overstepped its authority. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi sued, arguing any state climate action is superseded by the federal Clean Air Act and is unconstitutional. She says Vermont’s law will make it more expensive to make energy and drive up costs for Americans.

Lowell Republican Rep. Mark Higley shares her concerns and says the lawsuit is another cost on top of other efforts to go green.

“There’s a lot of these initiatives that are coming down that are going to impact Vermonters and businesses in general. This is just one more,” Higley said.

But others feel it’s a battle the state can win. In a statement, Attorney General Charity Clark said, “As Attorney General, I’m always proud to represent Vermont, and I look forward to doing so in this case.”

Paul Burns with VPIRG, which championed the bill, equates the law with settlements with the tobacco and pharmaceutical industries.

“They’ve caused damages, they knew they were causing damages, that’s well known now, and it’s time that they be held to account,” Burns said.

But Higley worries Vermont taxpayers will foot the bill, fighting a lengthy and costly lawsuit against fossil fuel companies with deep pockets.

“A futile attempt, if you ask me, that’s going to waste a lot of money and a lot of time,” Higley said.

The lawsuit will now play out in federal court. It follows a similar complaint where the feds sued to stop Hawaii and Michigan from suing fossil fuel companies.

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