The Environmental Division of the Vermont Superior Court today ruled decisively in favor of citizen participation in Act 250 proceedings in a case involving a proposed development in Bennington.
The Vermont Natural Resources Council and a group of Bennington residents who last year had been denied a full seat at the table in the Act 250 process hailed the decision.
â This ruling clarifies that Act 250 is fully open to citizens,’said Brian Shupe, VNRCâ s executive director.
Shupe continued: â The ruling in favor of the rights of citizens to fully participate in decision-making in their own communities is precisely in line with the vision of Act 250â s founders, as well as Vermontâ s strong tradition of accessible government,’he said. â This is good news.â
Meg Campbell, a representative of the citizens group, said she also was pleased with the decision.
â As a group, we had information and a viewpoint to bring to the table. Being denied party status in the case effectively shut us out and, as a result, the review of the project was compromised."
VNRC represented a group of Bennington residents who were concerned about the impacts of a proposed expansion of a Wal-Mart in Bennington.Their concerns included impacts on water quality, potential harm to the economic viability of downtown businesses, and traffic congestion.
Last fall, the District Commission in Bennington had denied the Citizens for a Greater Bennington and VNRC full party status in the case. In October, the citizens group and VNRC appealed the ruling to the Environmental Division of the Superior Court.
VNRC 4.26.2012
Vermont Superior Court rules in favor of citizen access in Bennington Act 250 case
Submitted by tim
on