Vermont House to vote on override veto of climate bill

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to override a gubernatorial veto of a bill designed to combat global warming.

On Tuesday, Republican Gov. Phil Scott vetoed a bill that would have required Vermont to meet certain greenhouse gas emissions targets in the coming years and allowed the state to be sued if it didn’t.

Scott, a Republican, says he shares the commitment of the Democratic-led Legislature’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but has problems with certain aspects of the bill.

He urged the Legislature to revisit the bill with his input to use the state’s clean water plan as a model for work on climate change.

The bill passed the House with enough support to override the governor, but it's unclear if all the lawmakers who supported the bill will vote to override the veto.

Democratic House Speaker Mitzi Johnson says Scott’s veto leaves Vermonters behind in addressing climate change.

If the House overrides the veto, it would then have to be voted on in the Senate, which also passed the original legislation with enough support to override the veto.