Stop VT Biomass

January 2024: Burlington City Council is voting on important changes to the Thermal Energy Ordinance 

Visit this page to learn more about the resolutions and how to join the fight.


The McNeil Logging Map is Live! 

Visit this page to view a complete map of all the 330+ timber harvests done on private land in Vermont for the McNeil power plant from 2020-January 2023. Check back soon for updates for this past year, January 2023-January 2024. We encourage you to visit a site and see the (lack of) forest for yourself!

McKibben: "There could not be a more stupid or suicidal way to produce energy [than biomass]."

Internationally known author and climate activist Bill McKibben joined us in Fall 2023 for a screening of the film "Burned: Are Trees the New Coal?" and made his feelings known about the expansion of Burlington's McNeil biomass power plant.

Sign the Petition: Say NO to Dirty Energy! Stop the McNeil Biomass Plant Expansion

Sign the Petition

Join the rising chorus demanding that Burlington and the UVM Medical Center say “NO” to District Energy. We deserve real climate solutions, NOT more pollution and greenwashing. Burlington City Council approved the steam pipe on November 20, 2023, but there is still an Act 250 process and many other steps before this ill-advised project could become a reality. Your opposition matters, even if you're not from Burlington, or even not from Vermont!

NOT Zero Fest

Burlington Electric Department’s flawed “District Heat” proposal put on blast

BURLINGTON, VT, SEPT. 24, 2023 - Ratepayers and residents disrupted Burlington Electric Department’s (BED) Net Zero Fest yesterday with a puppet representing the proposed “District Heat” steam pipe. Participants held banners reading “No McNeil Expansion” and “McNeil Power Plant: Dirtier Than Coal,” while handing out flyers to Net Zero Fest attendees. The festival was poorly attended and disruptors matched or outnumbered guests.  More>>  |  Photos>>

Who is Stop VT Biomass?

Stop VT Biomass is a coalition of local residents who are concerned that biomass, biofuels and “renewable" natural gas (RNG) are being promoted as solutions to the climate crisis when they are in fact carbon-intensive, polluting fuels that would increase greenhouse gas emissions, adversely impact public health, and harm ecosystems both locally and globally. We are deeply disappointed that the so-called "Affordable" Heat Act, which relies heavily on biomass, liquid biofuels, and RNG, was recently made into law, but we will continue to fight for the most just transition possible with other bills, and as the AHA goes to the PUC rule-making phase. We are also focused on Burlington city ordinances to eliminate polluting biofuels from the heat sources permissible in new buildings, and building momentum to stop the proposed McNeil steam pipe and phase out the highly-polluting McNeil biomass plant.