Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House Thursday evening gave preliminary approval to H.926, a bill designed to update the state’s landmark Act 250 land development and use law on a voice vote. Much of the focus on this update is on easing housing development in town centers. The final vote on the bill Friday passed 88 to 52. It now makes its way back to the Senate. It will need reconciliation with earlier Senate changes before ultimately reaching the governor.
One section of the bill as it stands now is that: “As part of a balancing of interests to support economic development in compact centers while promoting a rural countryside, supporting a working landscape, and protecting important natural resources, exempting designated downtowns and neighborhood development areas from Act 250 and increasing Act 250 jurisdiction at interstate interchanges and over certain new roads. Because the designation under 24 V.S.A. chapter 76A would affect jurisdiction, the bill provides for appeal of designation decisions.”
“Our state, and the challenges we face, have evolved in the fifty years since Act 250 was enacted,” said House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero). “It’s time to modernize this landmark law to reflect today’s needs. This bill eases At 250 regulations for downtowns and village centers where development is strategic and sustainable. It also works to strengthen natural resource protection by promoting sustainable trail development, protecting forest blocks and supporting working forests. This bill also supports working agricultural lands and strengthens our state’s environmental protections. H.926 is a significant part of our climate change agenda and also promotes our shared goal of protecting our natural resources.”
Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish, & Wildlife, Representative Amy Sheldon (D-Middlebury) added, “Act 250 is the reason that we have the Vermont we love and cherish today. The rate of land development is increasing and has substantially exceeded the rate of population growth. Additionally, the rate of land parcelization is increasing. Water quality is declining and species are going extinct at an ever accelerating rate.This bill proposes changes that integrate new awareness of climate change, ecosystem protection, and environmental justice. H926 strikes a balance between increasing project review to protect important resources while releasing certain areas from Act 250 review where we want to encourage development and where jurisdiction no longer applies.”
H.926 adds criteria to Act 250 to better protect forest blocks, wildlife habitat, and river corridors. It promotes efforts to foster sustainable trail development. It supports smart growth by reducing sprawling development while facilitating development in our compact downtowns, villages, and neighborhoods.
The bill also better addresses climate change — an issue that was not in the public consciousness when Act 250 was enacted in 1970 — through consideration of transportation and energy impacts of development.
“Act 250 was passed 50 years ago this year, and the challenges facing our state have changed and grown. It is imperative that the laws safeguarding our environment are updated to better address today’s challenges, which signing this bill into law would accomplish,” said Brian Shupe, Executive Director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC).
Several of Vermont’s foremost environmental groups sent a letter of support for H.926 to Vermont Representatives this week, including VNRC, The Nature Conservancy in Vermont, Audubon Vermont, Vermont Conservation Voters, and Conservation Law Foundation. Find the full letter here.
“As leading environmental and conservation organizations in Vermont, it is our long-time goal to ensure that Vermont’s natural resources, wild places, and working lands are preserved for the ecological, cultural, and economic value they provide, and for the health of the state and Vermonters overall,” the letter stated.
David Mears, Executive Director of Audubon Vermont, notes that “The loss of Vermont’s forests is a major threat to Vermont’s birds. I am excited to see the important progress that this bill makes for forest protection while recognizing the need to support our forest economy.”
“We thank the House Natural Resources, Fish & Wildlife Committee for their long, hard work on this important Act 250 modernization legislation, and are pleased it moved forward with tri-partisan support through the House,” said Lauren Hierl, Executive Director of Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV).
“We look forward to working with the Senate to advance this legislation so we can better protect our environment while encouraging development in those places we want it, ensuring we maintain Vermont’s unique and beloved character,” Hierl added.
“As the bill continues to move through the Legislature, we will continue to advocate for improvements to Act 250 that will increase environmental protections and improve the Act 250 process for the environment, business, communities, and interested citizens,” said Shupe.
“Passage of this bill by the House with tri-partisan support is an important step forward for Vermont’s priceless forests, rivers, and wildlife,” stated Phil Huffman, Director of Government Relations and Policy for The Nature Conservancy in Vermont. “It also makes important changes to Act 250 that will benefit our communities statewide, sustain our rural working landscape, and help us tackle the growing challenge of climate change. We look forward to working with the Senate and Governor Scott toward enactment of this key legislation this year.”
See Journal of the House for February 27 for detail.
Soruce: Montpelier, VT - Speaker 2.27.2020. VNRC 2.21.2020