VNRC Urges Action in Wake of Solid Climate Report

Boosting efficiency and renewable energy, protecting Vermont’s “green bank” of farms and forests, and investing in public transportation are among the recommendations in the long-awaited Governor’s Commission on Climate Change report, issued October 26, 2007. “This report is our roadmap to a green economy, and our recommendations are built on solid information,” said Elizabeth Courtney, one of six members of the commission and VNRC’s executive director.

The World Water Crisis and the State of Vermont

This summer, VNRC member and water warrior Dot Helling ran around the world to raise awareness about water, taking up the baton from China (pictured here) to the Czech Republic and back home to the United States. The water pollution, depletion and resource wars Dot witnessed are real, and they are intensifying. They are also not isolated to places beyond Vermont borders. The Green Mountain State has and will continue to face water problems due to the state’s failure to adequately protect drinking water from pollution, depletion and privatization. Read more here or learn more about Dot’s journey, VNRC’s work on this issue and what Vermont must do to safeguard our drinking water supplies at 7 p.m., Tuesday, October 23 at the Unitarian Church in Montpelier.

VNRC Helps Block Short-Sighted Septic Measure

Thanks to a handful of vigilant and dedicated lawmakers and the Vermont Natural Resources Council, the Agency of Natural Resources recently removed an environmentally harmful loophole in its proposed rule governing septic systems. This important move, which will help prevent water pollution and limit sprawl, ends months of wrangling over the issue.

Decision in Halifax Case Important Precedent, Conservation Win

A recent ruling by a state court that two backcountry trails in the Town of Halifax could not be reclassified to public roads will have important implications for the rural southern Vermont community and other towns working to control sprawl. The decision will help make rural lands along trails, which include significant wildlife habitat, working forests and recreational opportunities, less vulnerable to development.

VNRC Succeeds in Securing Protections for Farmland

At VNRC’s urging, a key legislative committee recently blocked a state agency proposal that would have weakened protections for some of Vermont’s best farm soils.

On August 29 the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR) told the Natural Resources Board (NRB) to rethink its proposed rule change to Act 250 — Vermont’s important land use and development control law -- and work with groups like VNRC to bring a better proposal before the committee.

VNRC's Summer Celebration: An Energizing Event

VNRC’s annual meeting and summer celebration in late July was a smashing success — pure Vermont summer at its finest. The late-day sun shone on the deep Green Mountains, the Mad River rippled nearby, and smiling faces abounded. Among the many great elements that combined to make our 44th annual meeting at the Inn at Lareau Farm so successful were inspring speeches by leaders like Peter Forbes (pictured left). Find out more about the evening, including calls to build an environmental movement from friends like Bill McKibben.

Petroleum Industry Report Calls for Efficiency, Renewables

Weeks after Vermont Governor Jim Douglas vetoed legislation that would have helped Vermonters conserve energy and move toward renewable power, a national petroleum industry group is urging the nation to do just that: cut energy consumption and move toward wind, solar and biomass. The new report was published by the privately-funded, federally chartered National Petroleum Council at the request of the U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman. The report says the United States should rein in the energy Americans use to heat our homes and businesses and fuel our transportation fleets. While the action the petroleum industry calls for in its report falls short of what's needed to tackle our impending energy crisis and combat climate change, its a powerful signal.

News From the Field: Invasive aquatic in North Connecticut River

(This article was recently sent to VNRC through our "send us your story" form on our website. VNRC works hard to preserve and enhance our water resources that can be severely compromised by invasive species. If you have a news item or personal story you think should be heard by the VNRC community, use the link on the right-hand column and send it along.)

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources has confirmed that an exotic invasive algae is invading reaches of the Northern sections of the Conneticut River. This algae is known as "rock snot" or "didymo" (Didymosphenia geminata) and can grow in dense cottony mats that can destroy fish habitat and smother other native aquatic plants.

Regrouping on Global Warming and Energy

The recent demise of the forward-thinking energy bill, H.520, is a deep disappointment. While the outcome is not surprising, it is troubling. Hundreds of Vermonters turned out July 11 to support this legislation, and thousands of Vermonters want real action now on this pressing issue. But Vermont’s failure to act decisively on this measure set the state back significantly in tackling climate change, reducing Vermonters’ energy bills and creating good jobs.

Political jockeying and short-sightedness capsized Vermont’s best effort yet to translate climate change talk into action. In the end, under the heavy weight of Governor Douglas’ opposition to the legislation, the House even failed to take up a Senate-passed, watered down version of the bill.

Invite from Bill McKibben to July 11 Veto Override Action

After 20 years of inaction, this has been a season of real progress on global warming across America. State after state across the nation is passing innovative legislation; even the U.S. Senate, with real leadership from Bernie Sanders, is close to passing aggressive legislation. One of the few dark spots on that map is Vermont—and together we can change that on July 11.