Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 11:40AM By the end of this year, there will be 7,747 more acres of land in Vermont that will never be developed. That’s the total acreage of new Vermont Land Trust conservation easement projects across the state, which includes 1,241 in Addison County.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 03:21PM U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy hails a new rule targeting cross-state air pollution that has been in the works for more than 20 years. Leahy said the recent release of the rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “goes directly to the distant sources of pollution that have long bedeviled clean air strategies in Vermont, New England and other areas of the country."
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 01:23PM The federal Environmental Protection Agency has rejected Vermont's cleanup plan for Lake Champlain. The agency says Vermont has made progress, but needs to do more to cut phosphorus pollution in the big lake.
Link to full articleFriday, January 21, 2011 at 03:04PM The federal government is taking a step toward exploring a tugboat sunk in 160 feet of water in Lake Champlain to see if its tanks contain fuel that could leak and cause an environmental disaster.
Link to full articleTuesday, January 18, 2011 at 01:58PM A non-profit group released a report listing and mapping toxic sites by county and town. The Toxics Action Center releases "Toxics in Vermont: A Town-by-Town Profile" once every few years, said Brendan Gallagher, community organizer for the center. He said the report is meant to be a tool for citizens to use so they know potential threats in their communities.
Link to full articleFriday, January 14, 2011 at 02:34PM Should Vermont impose taxes on those who pollute Lake Champlain? The idea, once unthinkable, was squarely on the table this week as a government-appointed citizens committee — impatient over continuing algae blooms and rampant weed growth — struggled to agree on priority actions to recommend to the 2011 legislature.
Link to full articleMonday, December 27, 2010 at 01:35PM The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department announced today it has adopted a plan to guide the restoration and management of bald eagles in the state. The Vermont Bald Eagle Recovery Plan focuses on monitoring and protecting bald eagle nesting sites so that eagles can "produce young on a consistent basis," a news release issued today states.
Link to full articleFriday, December 17, 2010 at 10:40AM Today, the EPA and the Clean Air Act got a huge boost from large and small US companies, when over 60,000 firms represented by 14 business organizations told Congress to keep the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Clean Air Act strong. At the same time, the groups expressed concern that the EPA's half-year delay of pending ozone (smog) rules will be costly to US companies. The delay could result in higher health costs due to increased employee sick-day absenteeism and related medical costs borne entirely or partially by small and large US companies.
Link to full articleTuesday, August 31, 2010 at 11:19AM A conservation group wants a rare mountain songbird protected under the endangered species act. The Center for Biological Diversity says the Bicknell's thrush is under threat from climate change. The bird nests in coniferous forests in the Adirondacks, New England and eastern Canada. But as the temperature warms, its habitat is expected to shrink.
Link to full articleMonday, July 26, 2010 at 12:52PM The Conservation Law Foundation renewed its request Wednesday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency take over the job of regulating water pollution in Vermont on grounds the state Agency of Natural Resources is failing to get the job done."The state is not protecting clean water in the way that Congress and the EPA require, so the state shouldn't be able to take millions of dollars of taxpayer money for those programs," said Chris Kilian, head of CLF's Vermont office. Vermont is one of a number of states to which the EPA has delegated enforcement of the Clean Water Act. The state receives an estimated $6 million a year to do the job.
Link to full articleMonday, July 26, 2010 at 10:54AM Creative minds from all over the country joined forces last week at Marlboro College's Center for Creative Solutions, their work culminating Saturday in an exhibit that showcases dozens of possible uses for the Brattleboro riverfront, where the town hopes to have two old buildings torn down within the next 12 months. The open space created by the demolition next to the train station could be used in a multitude of ways, said project organizers. One of the goals of the exhibit, which will remain on display in the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center until Oct. 24, is to get townspeople excited about the possibilities.
Link to full articleThursday, July 22, 2010 at 10:51AM An environmental group says the state has failed to crack down on water pollution from large farms and a sewage treatment plant. The Conservation Law Foundation says that since the state isn't doing the job, the federal government should take over the clean water permit program.
Link to full articleTuesday, July 13, 2010 at 04:05PM These days, companies are more likely to be cutting employee benefits than adding any perks. But even in this down economy, some businesses are offering an unusual new benefit that doesn't cost a lot, but that some employees are really "digging". It's 3 in the afternoon on a recent work day, and Marie Duprey is at her job at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, where she's a graphic designer. But she isn't anywhere near her desk.
Link to full articleMonday, June 14, 2010 at 02:18PM Policymakers know where much of the phosphorus in Lake Champlain comes from. Sewage treatment plants release some. Most phosphorus — either dissolved in water or attached to soil particles — is carried to the lake in runoff from farm fields, lawns, roadside ditches and city streets. There’s one likely significant source of phosphorus that no one has quantified or included in pollution budgets: Phosphorus attached to the soil in eroding river banks.
Link to full articleMonday, June 7, 2010 at 01:01PM Following a recent clash with three area residents over the right to kayak and fish on Berlin Pond, the city of Montpelier is considering adopting a new ordinance and revising an old one in order to protect the pond, which supplies the city with water. The ordinances would clarify and strengthen Montpelier's ability to take action to protect the pond, and would raise the city's existing "Source Protection Plan" to something that can be enforced with fines and penalties, according to Paul Giuliani, the city's attorney. It would also allow the city to act more quickly to a threat of pollution or contamination, Giuliani said.
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