Environment Committee

The House Committee on Environment considers matters related to conservation and development; climate change mitigation; land resources, air, water, fish, and wildlife; solid waste management; and other similar policies.

The House Committee on Environment  heard testimony on potential impacts of federal administration actions; the modernization of Act 250; producer responsibility for products including tires, hazardous waste, and bottles; and wildlands conservation. 

Vermont has over 1,000 dams across the state, some of which are regulated by the state and some regulated by the federal government. High-hazard dams are those that pose risk to human lives if they were to fail. This classification does not take into account the current condition of the dam, and does not mean that they are at high risk of failure. We have 77 high-hazard, state-regulated dams in Vermont. The committee passed H.778 (An act relating to dam safety) that will ensure Vermont’s Division of Emergency Management provides needed support to municipalities downstream of high-hazard dams to develop emergency operations plans so that emergency responders and municipal and state officials have a coordinated communication, evacuation, and response plan in the highly unlikely but very dangerous scenario of a dam failure or emergency release from a dam. 

There is a renewed effort to pass a bill to modernize Vermont’s bottle redemption system, which would create a producer responsibility organization (PRO). This is a common tool for ensuring producer responsibility for the life cycle of certain products. The PRO would ensure more convenient and efficient bottle redemption options for Vermonters, including a minimum of three bottle redemption centers per county and one per municipality over 7,000 people; modernize the equipment utilized for redemption collection and sorting; and reduce manual sorting at redemption centers. A portion of the escheats (unclaimed bottle deposits) would be utilized to fund the needed investments in equipment and technology. This bill does not expand the kinds of bottles that would be redeemable, nor does it increase the five cent deposit.

The Environment committee is considering changes to land posting laws in response to guidance issued by the Department of Fish & Wildlife this past fall would have required land posting on January 1st each year. This guidance was promptly rescinded, but legislative action has been requested to clarify that land can be posted at more reasonable times of year, and to address onerous issues that hinder some landowners from effectively posting their land. Currently, for land to be closed to hunting and fishing or to allow hunting and fishing by permission only, a landowner must post signs that are dated annually every 400 feet along all property lines, and at each corner and entry point. If any sign is damaged, missing, or incorrectly dated, it may be considered to not meet the law, and thus not be off-limits. In addition, the land posting must be registered with the town clerk, annually, for a $5 fee. This can be difficult for landowners who have mobility or health limitations, as not only do the signs need to be posted or dated annually, but also monitored regularly to ensure effectiveness. H.723 (An act relating to posting of land) addresses these challenges and reduces conflicts between landowners and hunters by eliminating dates on postings, allowing purple paint to be used in addition to signs, continuing to require annual registration with the town clerk, and recognizing posted land despite minor imperfections such as an occasional missing or damaged sign.