Wetlands

Wetlands bill passes House

Vermont Enacts Protective New Wetlands Law

MONTPELIER – Wetlands – nature’s water filters – will be better protected in Vermont under legislation that was enacted into law today.

The bill, H.447, was the result of lengthy negotiations among a variety of interest groups. The measure will require inaccurate state wetlands maps to be updated and also mandate better protections for wetlands.

“This legislation shows what Vermonters with widely divergent interests can accomplish when they sit down and focus on what’s good for Vermont’s natural resources over the long haul,” said Kim Greenwood, staff scientist for the Vermont Natural Resources Council. “All parties here have made compromises for the greater good of improving the regulation of our wetlands,” she said.

Vermont’s Wetlands Finally Gain Powerful Protection

New rules that recently went into effect will help Vermont better protect wetlands – critical natural resources that filter our water, control floods, and provide wildlife habitat among many other things.
Part of the change gives any Vermonter concerned about wetlands the ability to ask state regulators to consider protecting these important water resources in your neighborhood.