Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee

The House Committee on Energy and Digital Infrastructure considers matters relating to energy, utilities, telecommunications, broadband, information technology, cybersecurity, and other similar policies.

With energy costs on the rise and years-long expensive investments in the state’s digital infrastructure underway, the 2025–2026 biennium launched a newly re-constituted Energy & Digital Infrastructure

Committee. State Information Technology (IT) projects, artificial intelligence policy, and cybersecurity play a critical role in how Vermonters access government services, requiring more oversight from the Legislature. Despite federal obstacles to climate action and renewable energy, the committee worked hard this session to continue progress on stabilizing energy prices by helping Vermonters access the benefits of energy efficiency and solar.   

Keeping a careful eye on state IT:

Vermont’s IT systems are critical to the day-to-day work of our state government. They are how people find information and access vital services, from finding a job to paying taxes, starting a business or applying for benefits. It is all connected through Vermont.gov. Some of these IT systems date back to the 1970s and add-on systems and workarounds have built up like barnacles. Modernization is imperative, challenging, and expensive. Vermont has more than $700 million in modernization projects scheduled over the next several years.    

Recent successes include:  

-the new Department of Motor Vehicles system (myDMV) that is saving time for Vermonters and DMV staff
  -replacement of the ancient Unemployment Insurance system at the Department of Labor, which is nearly complete

-integrated Eligibility and Enrollment, a single point-of-entry for many state-assistance programs, is on-track and making progress

- a unifying system for state government payroll, human resources and procurement is on the horizon which is replacing dozens of systems 

For a snapshot of key State of Vermont IT projects, check out the dashboard hosted by the Agency of Digital Services or read the agency’s 2026 annual report. 

Small steps for smarter solar:

Vermonters’ ability to save money from rooftop solar generation, sustainable heating and cooling options, and cleaner cars faces big headwinds from Trump Administration rollbacks and tariffs. With federal funding for low-income solar and solar-panel tax credits gone, the committee focused on smarter solar-siting policy and low-cost plug-in solar. 

The legislature attempted to make it easier and more cost-effective for developers to co-locate solar facilities on the same parcel by passing H.710 (An act relating to defining electricity generating facilities). Beyond cost savings, this also would support smarter land-use decisions. Unfortunately, the Governor vetoed bill on 17 June 2026

Along with a growing number of states, we passed a bill to regulate the usage of portable plug-in solar panels. Also called “balcony solar,’ these plug-in photovoltaic (PIPV) devices are widely used in Europe where they allow apartment residents to offset their electricity usage, especially when paired with batteries. S.202/Act 149 (An act relating to plug-in photovoltaic devices) clarifies that neither utility nor Public Utilities Commission approval is needed and ensures safe usage of PIPV by requiring that stringent national safety standards (UL-approved) are met. The bill passed the House and Senate, and was signed into law by the Governor on 16 June 2026.

Affordable energy for all Vermonters:  

The average price of gasoline has spiked to $4.55/gallon since the U.S. invasion of Iran in February, and the price of home heating fuel has more than doubled since 2020. Vermont does not regulate the price of these fossil fuels, so consumers are subject to the volatile swings of the global oil market. When we help Vermonters reduce fossil fuel usage by weatherizing their homes, installing heat pumps, or buying an EV, we help families save money and cut down on harmful air pollution. This often requires upfront investment, but costs less to use over time, delivering long-term, durable energy affordability. 

That’s the policy challenge facing Vermont and many states. As the Trump administration attacks renewable energy and cancels federal tax credits and incentives, the gap widens between Vermonters who can afford energy solutions and those who cannot. Foundational laws like the Global Warming Solutions Act and the Renewable Energy Standard set important milestones to guide our progress, but we need to pursue policies to ensure that all Vermonters, regardless of income, can burn less fossil fuel and access cleaner and less expensive ways to heat their homes and get around. 

The nonpartisan, nonprofit Energy Action Network publishes an excellent annual progress report on energy, affordability and emissions. It takes an analytical look at the $2 billion that Vermonters spend on fossil fuels every year and how our energy dollars go farther through more efficient technology. Efficiency Vermont offers advice, technical services, and financial incentives for homes and businesses. Three state-funded programs help income-eligible Vermonters afford energy for their homes as well as assistance with home heating fuel and weatherization. 

Repealing the Clean Heat Standard and gathering good data: 

H.740 (An act relating to the greenhouse gas inventory and registry) would have repealed the Affordable Heat Act (Act 18) of 2023. This symbolic step offered Vermonters’ clarity about this complex and controversial bill.  Act 18 proposed that Vermont adopt a Clean Heat Standard (CHS). Put simply, this would have required heating fuel dealers to earn or buy “clean heat credits” based on the number of gallons sold each year. They would earn these credits by helping customers reduce their fossil fuel use (e.g., by weatherizing their homes or installing heat pumps or advanced wood heat). 32 percent of the credits would have served low and moderate income Vermonters; 31 percent would have been targeted at helping businesses. The goal was to help Vermonters save money on energy by using less fossil fuel, while cutting down on harmful carbon pollution. Here is a good source of answers to frequently asked questions from the nonprofit Energy Action Network. 

Act 18 did not implement the Clean Heat Standard. Instead, it directed the Public Utility Commission to study how it would work in Vermont, including its costs and benefits. Act 18 also said that the CHS could not go forward without the full approval of the legislature, a second time around, after the study was done. This would have required the introduction of a new bill, passage by House and Senate, and the Governor’s signature. 

In January 2025, the PUC study reported that the Clean Heat Standard would have cost far less than the $4 a gallon claimed by Governor Scott and Americans for Prosperity (8 cents per gallon at the outset, rising to 58 cents per gallon in 2035). And overall, the benefits would have outweighed the costs. Still, it was judged to be a bad fit for Vermont and too complicated to implement. With no funding and no legislative approval, the PUC formally closed the docket in February 2026. By repealing this leftover language, the legislature hoped to provide clarity that the Clean Heat Standard is not moving forward. 

H.740 also included an important new data-collection effort that would gather information on fossil fuel sales in Vermont (the type of fuel sold,  transportation versus home heating, and by zip code. With these town-by-town data, both town energy committees, regional planning commissions, and the legislature would be able to figure out practical strategies to help Vermonters, no matter where they live, to save money on energy by transitioning to cleaner and more sustainable solutions. H.740 won final Senate approval and was pending on the House notice calendar on the final day of the session. The minority party refused to suspend rules to allow a House vote, so the biennium ended without a roll-call on this important bill.

Data Centers - protecting ratepayers and the environment:

Widespread concern about data centers and their huge electric demand, water usage, and noise, has led to calls for a moratorium on any large data center development in Vermont. But “dispatchable large loads” (data centers which use a lot of power but can ramp up and down) can actually expand our electric grid capacity and bring prices down for regular ratepayers. H.727 (An act relating to sustainable data center deployment) would have created a strong and forward-looking regulatory framework to ensure that data center development could be allowed in Vermont, but only in ways that benefit Vermont’s ratepayers and grid while protecting our environment.  

As laid out in H.727, any data center looking to site in Vermont would have been subject to full Act 250 review, which covers everything from air and water pollution to water supply, noise, traffic, scenic beauty, prime agricultural soils, wildlife habitat, and more. The data center would also have to sign a contract with its electric utility, approved by the Public Utility Commission, to lock in ratepayer benefit, maximize renewable power on-site, and make a substantial annual payment to help utility customers with energy efficiency projects. Unfortunately Governor Scott vetoed H.727 on 28 May 2026. The House attempted an override the veto on the final day of the session, but the roll-call vote of 83-52 fell short of the 2/3 standard needed to succeed. See how your legislator voted.

Cell towers - streamlined siting and improved public participation: 

Vermont's spotty cellphone coverage has been a longstanding problem. Siting new cell towers required an Act 250 permit until 2007 when 30 VSA § 248a established an expedited process through the Public Utility Commission (PUC). That process has sunset dates every three years, and the legislature has extended the date ever since. H.527/Act 129 (An act relating to extending the sunset of 30 V.S.A. § 248a) extends 248a for another three years. It also responds to public concerns about an opaque and difficult PUC process by adding stricter requirements for public input. When a new cell tower is proposed, municipalities must hold duly warned public hearings that are attended by the Department of Public Service (the consumers’ advocate in State government). The bill passed the House and Senate, and was signed into law by the Governor on 15 June 2026.

Rural broadband - near-universal coverage across Vermont:

Vermont has taken great strides in building out high-speed fiber-optic broadband. Act 79 in 2019 jump-started the creation of Communications Union Districts (CUDs) across the state. These regional organizations can access grants and the municipal bond market to fund broadband buildout where private companies have found it uneconomical to serve. They also spur competition, and therefore lower prices, in the private market. Together, CUDs and for-profit companies are expected to make high-speed fiber available to nearly every address in Vermont within a few years.  Fiber connections are faster and more reliable than low-earth satellites like Starlink and are a vital tool for business and the next generation of Vermonters. You can watch the documentary “Connected: Vermont’s Grassroots Effort for Rural Broadband” at this link.