Coming To You From Big Oil Profits: The Vermont Climate Superfund
Why it matters: Vermont needs the Climate Superfund to fund infrastructure improvements and buy out vulnerable properties after over $1 billion in storm damages.
- Vermont Climate Superfund Act allows the state to recover financial damages from the fossil fuel industry for climate change impacts, targeting funds for climate adaptation projects.
- Trump administration filed suit in September 2025, asking a federal judge to strike down the Vermont law, arguing it overstepped state authority and clashed with US foreign policy.
- Opponents of the law argued in March 2026 that Vermont's legislation is "an attack on the supremacy of federal law" and "threatens the balance of power between the national government and the states."
- Vermont is fighting back against "a barrage of legal actions from the energy industry and its allies," as noted by Paul Heintz of the Boston Globe, to secure funds for over $1 billion in damages from extreme weather.
- Kate Sinding Daly of Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) asserts that states have every right to protect residents and that fossil fuel companies should pay their fair share to adapt to climate change.
- Patrick Parenteau, professor at Vermont Law & Graduate School, told the Globe that the law makes legal sense, stating, "if your product causes harm, you’re liable. Period."
Vermont's Climate Superfund Act, passed in May 2024, aims to recover financial damages from the fossil fuel industry for climate change impacts, with funds earmarked for adaptation projects. This law faces significant legal challenges from the energy industry and the Trump administration, who argue Vermont overstepped its authority and interfered with federal law.
