When it comes to the future of Vermont’s Lake Champlain, Crea Lintilhac is optimistic. “We’re going to clean up our waters,” declares the long-time CLF Vermont Board member (and now chair), who has lived on the shores of the iconic lake for nearly 30 years.
Last week, I gave a presentation on the pollutants that plague Lake Champlain. On one slide I focused on the negative impacts of microbeads – miniature plastic balls so tiny that they slip through wastewater treatment systems and wind up in our lakes (and rivers, streams, and ocean). Once in the water, microbeads don’t biodegrade… Continue reading The Threat of Plastic Pollution
CLF’s primary goals in Vermont this legislative session were to secure clean water funding and fight against attempts to weaken our water protections. Here is a list of our wins and losses for this year.
Money has been a big part of the clean water conversation at the Vermont State House this year. In January, State Treasurer Beth Pearce put a price tag of $62 million per year for the next 20 years on the efforts needed to reach our clean water goals. A week later, Governor Phil Scott announced that… Continue reading We Need to Fully Fund Clean Water in Vermont Now
… Rebekah Weber, the lakekeeper at Conservation Law Foundation, says it isn’t just water quality advocates that are demanding real action on funding in 2017. A coalition that includes the Vermont Farm Bureau, Vermont Mayors Coalition, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and numerous environmentalist groups sent a letter to lawmakers last week, asking them to… Continue reading Advocates Push Lawmakers For Water Quality Funding
“Clean water is an absolute right for everyone who lives, works and plays in Vermont, yet we still have a long way to go in protecting this vital resource,” said CLF Lake Champlain Lakekeeper Rebekah Weber. “We’ve seen beach closures, lowered property values, business losses, and serious public health risks from the pollutants we allow into our waterways. The people of Vermont deserve better, and it’s time for our elected representatives to step up to the plate.”
Vermont’s House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife is considering a bill to improve how the state manages its rainfall. Pollution from stormwater runoff is one of the gravest threats to clean water in New England. When rain falls on pavement rather than soil, two things happen: first, it gains speed as it runs… Continue reading Vermont Takes Action to Rein in Stormwater Pollution
“Today the President said clearly and unequivocally that ensuring Americans have access to clean and safe water is not on his to-do list,” said Christopher Kilian, Director of CLF’s Clean Water and Healthy Forests program. “Repealing this critical protection not only defies the broad-based will of the American people, but it also places our region’s wetlands, streams and coastal estuaries at risk. New Englanders deserve better, and CLF stands ready to fight this catastrophic action at all costs.”
This past year was big for clean water in Vermont. The pollution limits for Lake Champlain were finalized, and a slew of new rules for agriculture, development and wastewater were established. CLF fought hard to shape these new policies to protect the environment and to ensure we have regular check-ins and honest accounting on how… Continue reading What’s Next for Clean Water in Vermont
“There is no doubt that a significant investment in clean water is essential for the economy, property values, tourism, recreation and the environment, and the question now is how we are going to get there,” said Rebekah Weber, CLF’s Lake Champlain Lakekeeper. “Today the governor took a big step in the right direction, but his funding plan falls short of what we need to ensure safe, healthy water for all Vermonters. By doubling his proposed investment and extending it beyond the next two years, Governor Scott can send a strong message that ensuring clean water must be a top priority.”
