Legislators will review the goals of the state’s land use law and evaluate the impact of limits on development.
Commission to reassess Act 250
Author: Mike Polhamus
Mike Polhamus writes about energy and the environment for VTDigger. He formerly covered Teton County and the state of Wyoming for the Jackson Hole News & Guide, in Jackson, Wyoming. He now lives in Waterbury. Polhamus studied at Southwestern Oregon Community College, University of Oxford and Sarah Lawrence College. His research has been commissioned on a variety of topics such as malnutrition and HIV, economic development, and Plato’s Phaedo. Polhamus hails originally from the state of Oregon.
Private well near Guard base contaminated
The chemicals were found in a private well on a farm located about half a mile from the National Guard base.
Lake Carmi closed because of algae bloom
“If you know what split-pea soup looks like, it looks like pea soup,” a neighbor said. Blue-green algae now covers the entire lake surface. The state will inject oxygen into the lake to stem the growth of cyanobacteria.
Group seeks to boost outdoor recreation and local economy
The Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative was formed earlier this year by an executive order from Gov. Phil Scott.
Solar City under investigation
The subsidiary of California-based automobile concern Tesla, Inc. did not get seek permits for installations.
Scott administration questions rationale for Silvio O. Conte Refuge expansion
Scott wants to know how land will be acquired, how landowners will be affected, and what will happen to the “productivity” of the land once it is placed under federal protection.
Vermont Gas customers soon can buy into renewable methane
Customers who opt to pay a premium will help underwrite the cost. The company had to come up with the plan as a condition of the permit for its recently completed pipeline extension.
Stymied elsewhere, Casella looks to keep Vermont landfill growing
A planned expansion has nothing to do with the closure of a Massachusetts facility, the company says. Rather it’s to ensure Vermont’s only landfill of its kind has the room to operate for decades.
Electric co-op: Don’t overload us with renewable energy costs
Vermont Electric Cooperative’s Christine Hallquist says she supports renewable energy, but doesn’t want her customers to shoulder a disproportionate share of the cost of bringing it onto the grid.
Paddling in protest: Boaters call attention to water pollution
Paddlers in a river-borne protest called for an end to “combined sewage overflows,” in which city wastewater systems send untreated sewage to rivers and lakes in heavy rains.
Planned hops farm leaves bitter taste for Charlotte neighbors
Residents concerned about pesticide drift and groundwater usage flocked to a meeting where they hoped to spur local leaders to act. But state law protects a “right to farm.”
Teflon Town: ChemFab neighbors sickened by PFOA
Residents have medical conditions they suspect are tied to years of drinking PFOA-tainted water.
Teflon Town: State officials put jobs ahead of environmental regulations
Documents show that political leaders instructed state regulators to give ChemFab special consideration.
Justices give New Haven a chance to fight solar project
The Vermont Supreme Court says utility regulators set a tighter deadline than they should have during their review.