The view from East Hill in Plainfield. VTD/Josh Larkin

In a press conference on Tuesday, leaders from both organizations said they have similar environmental goals, though the council will now put more of an emphasis on the mission of Smart Growth Vermont – to prevent suburban sprawl from destroying the state’s agricultural and forested landscape.

John Ewing, founder of Smart Growth Vermont, said: “We’re looking at this as a happy merger.”

Both organizations have been hit hard financially by the Great Recession, and recent changes in the leadership of each nonprofit led to recent soul searching strategic planning efforts. The Shumlin administration tapped the executive director of Smart Growth Vermont, Noelle MacKay, as the commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the general counsel for the council, Jon Groveman, as the point lawyer for the Agency of Natural Resources. There will be no transference of tangible assets, with the exception of the Smart Growth Vermont website. In addition, Elizabeth Courtney, executive director of the council is stepping down, and Brian Shupe, deputy director, has been named as her replacement.

Ewing said when MacKay left “that led us to take a hard look at where we were.” The merger with the council seemed like a natural progression for the organization, he said.

Smart Growth Vermont, which was launched 13 years ago, has been instrumental in passing legislation such as “complete streets” and downtown center designation that provide incentives for the state to make villages and towns more attractive for residents and lure them away from suburban developments that contribute to sprawl.

Ewing said Vermont’s scenic landscape is a key economic driver for tourism in the state; sprawl essentially destroys that aesthetic and economic resource.

“The fact is, sprawl or adverse growth patterns are not going away,” Ewing said. As a counterweight to inappropriate construction development, Smart Growth Vermont has encouraged the state to support polices that put a premium on the traditional settlement pattern in which dense communities are located within the farm landscape.

The Vermont Natural Resources Council has a broader mission, which includes protection of water resources, energy planning, forest and biodiversity protection and sustainable communities.

The council is nearly 50 years old, and a half a century later, the problems environmentalists face in Vermont are similar but different, Courtney and Shupe said. In addition to the need to find ways to protect Vermont ecosystems, the state now faces impacts from climate change.

Courtney, longtime executive director of the council, explained that it’s been about 40 years since Gov. Deane Davis authorized Art Gibb to study “rampant development” that was caused, in part, by the construction of the first interstate highway in Vermont. Gibb’s commission proposed what became known as Act 250, the state’s planning law. The council helped to pass, and later to defend, Act 250 against challenges by developers.

VNRC was involved in the Pyramid Mall fight in Williston in the 1980s. That legal victory, however, came at a political price for the council, Courtney said, and ultimately Taft Corners was developed anyway. While VNRC has a lawyer on staff, the organization is more likely to leave legal matters to the Conservation Law Foundation.

“We believe collaboration can get us further than confrontation,” Courtney said.

Ewing pointed out that the merger is a prime example of that collaborative spirit.

VTDigger

May 9, 2011

Contact:

Johanna Miller, Energy Program Director, Vermont Natural Resources Council, Email: jmiller@vnrc.org • Web: www.vnrc.org

Karen Horn, Public Policy & Advocacy Director, Vermont League of Cities and Towns, Email: khorn@vlct.org • Web: www.vlct.org

Energy Planning Key to Strategic Energy Action

New guidebooks outline how communities can comprehensively address energy

Montpelier — Two of Vermont’s leading public policy organizations today released a set of new comprehensive tools that will help communities deal with the pressing issues regarding our energy future.

“Vermonters are eager to help lead the state on its transition away from a fossil fuel-based economy to one based on renewable energy, conservation and efficiency. With the state’s well-developed planning framework, they are also well positioned,” said Johanna Miller, Energy Program Director at the Vermont Natural Resources Council. “Now, they also have some new tools.”

Global challenges of diminishing energy resources, skyrocketing energy prices and climate change require concerted action on the part of all local, state and national governments. They also require forward-looking planning.

The set of publications recently released today by the Vermont Natural Resources Council and Vermont League of Cities and Towns outline how communities can comprehensively, systematically and aggressively address energy use and consumption. They are:

The Energy Planning and Implementation Guide for Vermont Municipalities — A step-by-step guide outlining how communities can use the energy element of their municipal plan to comprehensively address energy issues.

Communities Tackling Vermont’s Energy Challenges — A publication overviewing three dozen success story ‘snapshots’ of innovative, entrepreneurial and proactive approaches Vermonters are taking to help save money, reduce energy consumption, transition to renewables and combat climate change.

“VLCT is pleased to offer help to local officials to show how their neighboring cities and towns are planning for a new efficient, locally based energy future and the kinds of initiatives that might help achieve the kind of future they envision,” said Karen Horn, VLCT’s Director of Public Policy and Advocacy. “A lot of good work has already been done. What works in one town may well provide a model for action in others.”

Growing interest in energy planning catalyzed the collaboration on energy planning between VNRC and VLCT and the creation of these two guiding documents.

“These tools will greatly assist towns that want to incorporate energy issues in their Town Plans,” said Waterbury Selectboard Chair Rebecca Ellis. “The planning process provides a wonderful opportunity to engage citizens in shaping a vision for the future. Once adopted, the Town Plan directs the community’s actions both with broad goals and specific objectives. From conservation to efficiency to renewables, these publications will help communities who want to make a difference on energy.”

Waterbury LEAP (Local Energy Action Partnership) is one of roughly 100 town energy committees in Vermont. Over the past four years LEAP volunteers have completed dozens of local projects that have helped Waterbury expand renewable energy opportunities, become more energy efficient, and reduce emissions. For example, last year LEAP raised funds to build solar arrays on two local schools, including Thatcher Brook Primary School. “This helped bring the concept of renewable energy and solar power to life for local students and teachers,” said Duncan McDougall, chair of LEAP. “We look forward to using many great ideas from the Energy Planning and Implementation Guide, and we hope some of our projects will inspire other towns. Town energy committees are wonderful about sharing what they’ve learned with colleagues in other towns, and this guide is yet another great way to make that happen!”

Noted VNRC’s Miller: “We look forward to working even more closely with Vermont communities to use these guidance documents and help them map out a strategic plan of action; a plan that helps Vermonters save money, make their homes more comfortable and livable, create new, well-paying clean energy jobs by growing a robust renewable energy economy in the state and more.”

Read more here: http://www.vnrc.org/energy/resources/energy-planning-implementation-guidebook-for-vt-communities/

About the Vermont Natural Resources Council
The Vermont Natural Resources Council is an independent, nonprofit research, education, and advocacy organization founded in 1963 to protect Vermont’s environment, economy, and quality of life. Nearly 6,000 households, businesses, and organizations have joined VNRC in support of our mission to establish an approach to development that strengthens communities, enhances economic opportunity, and protects Vermont’s irreplaceable natural resources.

About the Vermont League of Cities and Towns
VLCT is an association of all the cities and towns in Vermont whose purpose is to support and strengthen local government.

VTDigger

March 3, 2011

Contact: Kim L. Greenwood, VNRC Water Program Director
Environmental Court Groundwater Ruling Sets Legal Precedent on Yankee Leaks

MONTPELIER, VT – A recent ruling by the Vermont Environmental Court relating to groundwater pollution at Omya’s calcium carbonate processing facility in Florence supports the argument that radioactive leaks at Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon have violated the public trust provisions of a groundwater protection law passed in Vermont in 2008.

“The court’s ruling supports our contention that Vermont Yankee’s continued contamination of groundwater violates the public trust,” said Elizabeth Courtney, VNRC’s Executive Director. “The ruling also has the effect of strongly supporting our call – and the call from many, many Vermonters – for this dangerous, leaking plant to be shut down,” she said.

“VNRC is pleased and Vermonters should feel good about this ruling. It will help protect critical groundwater resources,” said Kim Greenwood, VNRC’s Water Program Director, who is also VNRC’s staff scientist.

In the ruling, the court has held that the groundwater public trust designation is to be broadly interpreted and that the state must manage groundwater as a public trust resource that is to be protected from both over-extraction and pollution.

In analyzing the Legislature’s intent in passing the public trust law, the court wrote:

“Nothing about the language or structure of that statute restricts the public trust to groundwater quantity alone. To the contrary (the statute) explicitly mandates that the state manage its groundwater resources for the benefit of its citizens, both with regard to groundwater quantity and quality.”

The decision is the first substantive judicial interpretation of the 2008 law (Act 199) designating Vermont’s groundwater to be a public trust resource. It is also significant because it creates precedent that is highly protective of groundwater, the source of water for some two-thirds of Vermonters.

The case (in Re Omya Solid Waste Facility Interim Certification and Final Certification) involved an appeal of the solid waste certification issued by the Agency of Natural Resources to Omya by residents that live near the Omya facility. The residents raised concerns about groundwater pollution from waste generated by Omya as part of its quarrying operation.

VNRC was a “friend of the court” in the case, and has led a movement over several years both around Vermont and within the Legislature to get groundwater declared a public trust resource. The 2008 law was the culmination of that work.

Also in the ruling, the court dismissed Omya’s argument that the fact that the groundwater had not spread outside the borders of its own property shielded it from having violated the groundwater public trust law. The decision was issued February 28.

About VNRC


The Vermont Natural Resources Council is an independent, member-based, nonprofit research, education, and advocacy organization founded in 1963 to protect Vermont’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

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VTDigger

Over the past four decades, Vermont has enacted a patchwork of planning and regulatory systems to guide land development while protecting our natural resources. And although the state’s planning and zoning laws, water quality standards, Act 250 and other regulations might be protective, effective and user-friendly in and of themselves, they often work poorly together, costing Vermonters and state government more than we can afford.

There are many of us in Vermont who think it’s time to make some structural adjustments to our permitting process.

A new entity — the Department of Environmental Quality — could be established to hear appeals from Agency of Natural Resources permits and Act 250 land-use and local-zoning decisions.”

It’s been 40 years since Act 250 was passed, and in the years since, many state and federal laws have been put into place. Yet we have never taken the time to step back from these regulatory processes to assess their redundancies and inefficiencies, nor their cumulative effectiveness in protecting natural resources.

As a result, Vermont does not have a “permit process” per se. We have many individual permit processes — and therein lies the problem.

Our permit systems have become more redundant and litigious, requiring legal assistance, stamina and capital. This shuts many Vermonters out of the process. There are inefficiencies, issues of fairness and access, and unnecessary time and expense to all participants, including applicants.

The 1970s and the 1980s were the years when most of our environmental regulations and planning laws were passed. This era of intense legislative action was a response to rampant growth and pollution. Climate change and energy security were hardly on the radar screen and were barely part of our vocabulary until the 1990s.

Today we have a very different set of economic and environmental concerns that arise from the effects of climate change and the transition into a new energy future. Energy conservation and efficiency, increased transportation options for Vermonters, affordable housing, smarter land-use patterns that concentrate growth in town centers and leave working landscapes for the production of food and fuel — all could help Vermont flourish in the 21st century.

There is a broad cross-section of lawmakers, interested groups and individuals who have worked during the past year to build consensus on an approach to aligning the various permitting processes that is comprehensive and addresses a changing Vermont. Last year this idea was drafted into two bills sponsored by the chairs of the House Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources and House and Senate Natural Resources and Energy committees, but failed to progress for lack of time. However, earlier this month, the Senate began discussing a similar version of that legislation.

The basic proposal calls for a consolidation of three state agencies: the Vermont Environmental Court, the Vermont Natural Resources Board and the permitting functions of the Department of Environmental Conservation at the Agency of Natural Resources. This new entity would be called the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). A three- to five-member professional board appointed through a judicial nominating process would be established to hear appeals from Agency of Natural Resources permits and Act 250 land-use and local-zoning decisions.

The proposal also would begin to integrate the myriad local zoning standards and processes with state regulations through better growth-center planning and modifications to the criteria of Act 250 to address today’s land-use and environmental concerns.

We have grave needs resulting from the threats of climate change and energy insecurity, economic contraction and a shortage of affordable housing. Yet these demands bring with them unique opportunities to rethink Vermont’s permitting infrastructure and criteria.

This proposal would save Vermonters money and better protect our invaluable natural resources. It would create incentives to develop and redevelop our town centers, streamline cumbersome elements of permitting and result in better outcomes for the economy, the environment and all Vermonters.

VTDigger

What: The Vermont Environmental Action Conference is the largest grassroots activism conference in the state. Over 250 environmental activists will gather and discuss how to ensure Vermont Yankee is retired on schedule and replaced with clean, renewable energy and how to advance a slew of other environmental issues from moving local foods and local businesses forward to protecting and expanding Vermont’s bottle bill. Attendees will also be addressed via video by Governor elect Peter Shumlin and hear a keynote from former Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Vermont Law School Professor Pat Parenteau.

Where: Judd Gym, Vermont Technical College, Randolph, VT

When: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Saturday November 13, 2010

Who: Over 250 members and supporters of the state’s largest grassroots environmental groups: Democracy For America, Toxics Action Center, True Majority, VT LCV, VNRC and VPIRG and over 70 cosponsoring organizations and businesses

Contact: Ben Walsh, Field Director, VPIRG. bwalsh@vpirg.org

VTDigger

World Water Expert Visits Vermont Tonight

Maude Barlow to Speak on World, Green Mountain Water Woes

Montpelier — Clean, plentiful water supplies are essential to our lives and our livelihoods — in Vermont and around the world. Yet, globally, fresh water is threatened by pollution, depletion and privatization.

Vermont is not immune from those challenges, world water expert, author and former U.N. advisor on water, Maude Barlow, will tell Vermonters tonight in Burlington.

“Vermont’s water remains plagued by pollution, including turning a recent Lake Champlain triathlon into a duathlon because dangerous e-coli levels in Shelburne Bay had to abandon the swimming segment,” said VNRC’s Water Program Director Jon Groveman. “At the same time, some municipalities are looking to bottle and sell water. These remain precarious times for Vermont’s water.”

That’s why this Thursday, July 29, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, Community Sailing Center and Peace and Justice Center are partnering to host Ms. Barlow for a presentation and conversation on this pressing topic. The three organizations have each long worked on water issues but joined forces for the first time to bring Ms. Barlow to Vermont as pressure on our drinking water supplies intensifies and as the state’s lakes, rivers and streams continue to be dogged by pollution.

Ms. Barlow will arrive in Vermont one day after attending a U.N. General Assembly vote on a draft resolution declaring the human right to “safe and clean drinking water and sanitation.” In 2008, Ms. Barlow was named the first U.N. Special Advisor on Water for her lifelong work to promote water as a human right.

“Access to clean water is a human right,” said Kate Neubauer, executive director of the Community Sailing Center in Burlington. “We work hard to provide opportunities for everyone to learn about and recreate on Lake Champlain. Keeping it clean and creating future stewards of the lake is a big part of that.”

The WorldWatch Institute has stated that water scarcity is the most underappreciated global environmental challenge of our time. It’s for this reason many are taking action. “We must bring immediate attention and energy to protect our planet’s most precious resource — not only across the globe, but right here in Vermont too,” said Nancy Lynch, director of the Peace & Justice Center. “That’s why we are excited to partner with the VNRC and the Sailing Center to bring attention to this crucial and time sensitive issue.”

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about what’s happening — and not happening — this Thursday. Ms. Barlow will speak at 6:30 and offer first-hand insight, analysis and powerful stories about water struggles across the globe and suggest strategies on how Vermont can get in front of potential problems.

Prior to Ms. Barlow’s talk, all are welcome for a 5:30 reception, information tables and the opportunity to speak with Ms. Barlow herself. The event is open to the public and free of charge.

VTDigger

Contact: Jon Groveman, Water Program Director and Legal Counsel

Vermont Natural Resources Council

Phone: 802-223-2328 ext. 119 • Fax: 802-223-0287

E-mail: jgroveman@vnrc.org • Web site: www.vnrc.org

VNRC Intervenes in Vermont Yankee Docket

Effort to protect groundwater — a ‘public trust’ resource in Vermont

Montpelier — As elevated levels of radioactive isotopes continue to leak into groundwater surrounding the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, one of Vermont’s leading environmental organizations today filed a motion to intervene in the docket before the Public Service Board on the matter.

The Vermont Natural Resources Council cites the organization’s interest in protecting the state’s groundwater – a resource legally held in trust for the common good of all Vermonters – and the critical need to assure the state interprets the new groundwater public trust law correctly.

“Protecting Vermont’s groundwater is the responsibility of the state, and it is imperative to safeguard our state’s primary drinking water supply and an invaluable resource for farming, recreation and much more,” said VNRC Water Program Director and Legal Counsel Jon Groveman. “The recent news that underground pipes at Vermont Yankee are leaking increasingly elevated amounts of radioactive tritium into area groundwater spurred us to intervene. VNRC is deeply concerned that this radioactive material could contaminate drinking water supplies of neighboring communities as well as the Connecticut River.”

VNRC successfully helped lead a four-year effort that culminated in 2008 to statutorily declare Vermont’s groundwater a public trust resource. The public trust provision for the state’s groundwater – which was been afforded Vermont’s surface waters for more than a century – offers an important layer of legal protection to help safeguard the resource.

“Legal protection for Vermont’s groundwater is crucial, especially right now,” said VNRC Executive Director Elizabeth Courtney. “The source of the leak at Vermont Yankee continues to elude investigators. The contamination has rapidly increased. And the underground plume appears to be spreading. This is a startling and potentially dangerous picture.”

“VNRC and all Vermonters have a serious stake in how the state negotiates this issue,” said Groveman. “That’s why it’s incumbent upon the state to fulfill its obligation to protect and manage Vermont’s groundwater for the good of all Vermonters. In this case, that means the state has a responsibility to consider the impact of relicensing Vermont Yankee on groundwater. Clearly, with the serious and significant levels of radioactive materials leaking into Vermont’s water recently, this is an issue of grave concern and importance.”

About the Vermont Natural Resources Council

VNRC is an independent, nonprofit research, education, and advocacy organization founded in 1963 to protect Vermont’s environment, economy, and quality of life. Nearly 6,000 households, businesses, and organizations have joined VNRC in support of our mission to establish an approach to development that strengthens communities, enhances economic opportunity and protects Vermont’s irreplaceable natural resources.
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VTDigger

Editor’s note: Five Democratic candidates for governor answered questions about conservation, the Current Use program and renewable energy as part of a gubernatorial candidates’ forum at the Environmental Action conference at Vermont Technical College in Randolph on Nov. 7, 2009. Eight to nine minute video clips follow of remarks by Shumlin, Sec. of State Deb Markowitz, Patrick Parenteau standing in for Sen. Doug Racine, former Sen. Matt Dunne, and Sen. Susan Bartlett. Lieutenant governor Brian Dubie, a Republican, was not present at the forum. The videos are in the order in which the candidates appeared.

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