The Republican candidate for Governor has unveiled a plan to improve Lake Champlain’s water quality.
Pomfret businessman Scott Milne says Vermont should take money from a state land conservation program to help fund the cleanup of phosphorus pollution in the lake.
The 600-word “Plan to Get to Work on Lake Champlain” calls for taking “more than $7 million per year” from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and allocating it to the lake’s cleanup. The plan does not describe how the money will be spent. He would also give the board a new name, Vermont Housing and Lake Champlain Cleanup Trust.
The conservation program within VHCB typically supports farmers, and in some cases helps them improve water quality, officials say. Agriculture is the top source of phosphorus pollution in Lake Champlain.
David Mears is commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation and Governor Shumlin’s point person on restoring Lake Champlain’s water quality. He described the Milne plan as “half right.” Land conservation, he said, is critical to protecting water quality.
“A well-managed farm is much better for water quality than a parking lot. Any day of the week,” he said. He asserted that many farmers are willing to make changes on their farms to improve water quality, such as feeding certain livestock from a pasture instead of a cornfield. “They just need advice and technical assistance in knowing how to do it,” Mears said.
That assistance, he said, comes from VHCB, and the state is looking at ways to work with the board more effectively. “They are part of the solution,” Mears said.
He said the administration is still on track to release a funding proposal for implementing its federally required plan to limit nutrient inputs into Lake Champlain, known as Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) by Nov. 15. He said his department still does not have a total cost estimate for meeting the standards outlined in the state’s proposal to the Environmental Protection Agency.
VHCB has an annual budget of $15 million — not $16 million indicated in Milne’s plan — and spends $5 million — not $7 million — on conservation projects, according to VHCB Executive Director Gus Seelig.
He said the bulk of the conservation money goes toward farmers to conserve land, including adding easements around waterways, such as a vegetative buffer. He said there are about 75 conservation project in the pipeline waiting to receive approval.
He said the program also received between $3 and $4 million in matching federal funds.
He said the program gives farmers the resources they need to reduce runoff of manure from their fields into the waterways. He said a good agricultural economy makes it possible for farmers to “do right by the water”
By the spring, EPA plans to issue a final ruling setting limits on certain sources of phosphorus pollution into Lake Champlain.
Manure and fertilizer runoff from farms is the leading cause of phosphorus pollution in Lake Champlain — which is linked to toxic summer algae blooms. Farmers are expected to be among the hardest hit by future regulations, though some say the regulations coincide with efficient farming practices.
Milne said the restoration of Lake Champlain is not an issue that needs any more studies.
“You could probably fill the Lake with all of the papers and studies that have been written about the Lake’s problems. What is needed now is a solid plan of action and that is what I am providing,” he said in a news release.
Christopher Kilian, vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation, the environmental law firm that initially challenged the state’s plan, agrees.
He said the state needs a solid plan of action, and added, “I think all ideas and potential funding sources are welcome. Because we really haven’t seen the level of funding commitment we need to address all of the lake’s problems.”
“I think there is a kernel that could be worked with here,” he said about the Milne plan. “But I wouldn’t implement it through redirecting the money. I would start by ensuring that all those public investments through VHCB have strong binding provisions that protect the lake.”
He said he also supports Shumlin’s willingness to ask private companies to help pitch in to reduce pollution into the lake. “The private sector should be paying its fair share.” he said.
Milne said he would not make Lake Champlain a campaign issue.
“Cleanup will not be a talking point for the Scott Milne administration; it will be an action item. We will approach conservation from a practical, not political, point of view. I will focus on cleaning up the Lake and preserving this beautiful place, not getting high-profile federal officials up to Vermont during election season,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack came to Burlington in August to announce $45 million in new federal funding for farming conservation practices, including those that could improve water quality. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy visited the same location in October to announce a $67,000 grant to help Burlington cut city pollution from entering the lake and develop so-called “integrated plans” for meeting regulations in the Clean Water Act.
Shumlin has said he is looking for support from the federal government and private business to help implant the TMDL plan before he looks for state money.
Milne said he is planning to come up with more funding for Lake Champlain.
“Make no mistake, this proposal will not pay for the entire clean up of the Lake. Although the Shumlin administration has put no price tag on cleanup, estimates are as high as $150 million,” he said. “But my plan will be the most significant step taken towards restoring the Lake. And, this is the only workable proposal that has been put forward.”