Governor criticizes EPA’s decision to reconsider $100 million Lake Champlain cleanup plan

Governor Jim Douglas today strongly criticized the Environmental Protection Agency s (EPA) decision to reconsider its approval of the Lake Champlain clean up plan known as the Lake Champlain Total Maximum daily Load (TMDL). In papers filed in federal court yesterday, the EPA stated its intent to reconsider the approval given by EPA Region I in 2002.
Vermont s efforts to clean-up Lake Champlain are a model for how federal, state and local officials and organizations can partner to achieve a cleaner environment, said Governor Douglas. EPA s decision to reverse course is an affront to Vermont taxpayers, legislators, our Congressional Delegation and all those who have worked so hard to implement our TMDL.
Vermonters have invested more than $50 million into the plan that was enthusiastically lauded and approved by EPA in November 2002 and an additional $56 million in federal funds have been spent implementing the plan. Even more mystifying about EPA s decision is the fact that the New York portion of the TMDL, based on the same scientific study and methodology is still being fully supported by EPA Region 2.
Despite all this effort, EPA seems to have abandoned the approach it once called an important environmental milestone, DEC Commissioner Justin Johnson said. This leaves us wondering if we should rely on any of EPA s TMDL approvals as we make significant investment decisions to clean up Vermont s waters.
In its original letter approving the TMDL, EPA repeatedly lauded the plan, which called for 55 specific actions to clean up the lake. Seven of these have been completed and 44 are in progress. Two years ago the Vermont legislature established a schedule of regular progress reports on the Lake clean-up plan and re-evaluation of the science and assumptions in the TMDL in 2013. This commonsense approach has been all but thrown out the window by EPA.
While it is difficult to know where EPA will go from here, Vermonters can be assured that we will continue to work with the Vermont delegation, the legislature, and all Vermonters to build on the progress we are making in cleaning up the lake, said the Governor.
Source: Governor's office. 3.9.2010
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