For Immediat Release
September 29, 2011
Contact
Melanie Kehne
802-828-3305
Montpelier – Deb Markowitz, Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, and Ron Shems, Chair of the Vermont Natural Resources Board, are holding public hearings in October on improving Vermont’s environmental and land use permitting processes. The purpose of the hearings is to hear from Vermonters about what works and what needs improvement in the ANR, Act 250 and municipal permitting and appeals processes. “It is important to hear from the public,” said ANR Secretary Markowitz, “so we can address real issues people are experiencing in our environmental permitting process.” Public input is sought on the following questions:
- How can each permit process best assure predictability and timeliness?
- How can each permit process best assure transparency and citizen input?
- What environmental permit processes can be consolidated?
- How can we avoid duplication in the permit process?
- How can we lower expenses in the permit process?
- Should the process be the same for a routine environmental permit (e.g., wastewater) as
for a more complex permit (e.g., an Act 250 permit for a large project)? - Are there other procedural issues in the environmental protection process to address?
“Our goal is to improve the permitting process where it needs fixing, without reducing environmental protection,” said NRB Chair Ron Shems. Markowitz and Shems will be making
recommendations to the Legislature in January 2012. The public hearings are being held around the state, as follows:
St. Albans
October 6, 2011, from 7 – 9 p.m.
St. Albans Town Hall, Board Room
579 Lake Road
St. Albans, VT
Rutland
Thursday, October 20, 7 – 9 p.m.
Asa Bloomer Building
2nd Floor Conference Room
88 Merchants Row
Rutland, VT
Williston
Tuesday, October 11, 7 – 9 p.m.
Williston Central School Auditorium
195 Central School Drive
Williston, VT
Brattleboro
Thursday, October 27, 7 – 9 p.m.
Brattleboro Union High School
Multipurpose Room
131 Fairground Road
Brattleboro, VT
St. Johnsbury
Tuesday, October 18, 7 – 9 p.m.
Catamount Arts Building, Cabaret Room
115 Eastern Avenue
St. Johnsbury, VT
Comments are also being accepted in writing and by email. For details, see: http://www.nrb.state.vt.us/news.htm or contact Melanie Kehne at the Natural Resources Board
at 802-828-3305.
