Stop the Circ Highway!

Remember the “Circ?” Well, that high-cost highway project in Chittenden County (which Bill McKibben calls a “global warming machine”) is back in the limelight at a critical stage of review. The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) needs to hear from as many Vermonters as possible by August 27 on the project. Our view? It’s a bad idea. It would destroy wetlands, waste money, and promote sprawl – all to save 4 minutes of travel time for the average commuter.

Vermont Senate Approves Changes to Growth Centers Program

Despite the recent success with the Hartford Growth Center, there are several problems with the growth centers program that need fixing.

State Gets it Right in Designating Hartford Growth Center

The Expanded Downtown Board – the entity responsible for administering Vermont’s Growth Centers Program – has struggled with how to apply the standards that communities must meet to achieve growth center designation.

The Facts vs. Governor Douglas - Talking Points

Governor Douglas has outlined a radical vision for changing the programs that have protected Vermont’s communities and natural resources for several decades. In presenting these changes to the state, the Governor has used powerful rhetoric to paint a picture of a regulatory structure that is strangling Vermont’s economy in bureaucratic gridlock. This dark picture, however, is not accurate. Here are the facts...

COMMENTARY: Beware of the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

In an editorial I wrote recently, I cautioned about the temptation we have in economic hard times to make shortsighted policy decisions that risk sacrificing our core values over the long haul. And sure enough, less than three weeks later – on January 8, 2009 – in his fourth inaugural address, Governor Douglas outlined his proposal to stop what he calls a “culture of ‘No’” in (environmental) permitting. A culture of 'No?'

Committee to Study Act 250 and Rural Sprawl

VNRC will be participating in a study that will hopefully result in recommended changes to key Act 250 criteria to better manage rural sprawl and protect the economic vitality of Vermont’s downtowns. The charge of the committee, as set forth in the so-called “housing bill” (H.863) that went into effect this year, includes the following:

VNRC's Wal-Mart Work Continues in Earnest

VNRC continues to work with partners in St. Albans and Bennington to stop Wal-Mart from building oversized and out-of-place stores that threaten our downtowns and environment. The world's largest retailer needs several permits before it can move forward, and VNRC is deeply involved in each piece of the puzzle. Here's the latest scoop...

Growth Centers Program Faces Uncertain Future

The most important accomplishment of the 2005-2006 legislative biennium was the enactment of the Vermont Growth Centers program. VNRC was a strong advocate for the bill, and was heavily involved in crafting and passing this landmark legislation, which took effect in July of 2006. We have continued to monitor its implementation and while we remain optimistic, we are concerned that the program may not achieve its full potential.

My Turn: Douglas Taking Vermont on a Race to the Bottom

"When it comes to economic development, states across the nation generally choose one of two approaches. They either race to the top, or race to the bottom. For the past 40 years, Vermont has, for the most part, raced to the top. And, for the most part, this strategy has worked." In this op-ed, VNRC's Brian Shupe comments that "Racing to the bottom involves eliminating perceived barriers to development regardless of the implications. Protecting air and water quality becomes an unaffordable luxury. Community character is sacrificed to standards dictated by national franchises." ...