MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A Vermont legislative committee has approved major changes to the state’s development review law known as Act 250.
The House Natural Resources Committee voted 6-3 on Thursday with two members absent to approve the overhaul after more than a year of work, Vermont Public Radio reported.
The bill would exempt developments in designated downtowns from Act 250 review and boost protections to wildlife connector areas. It also would require projects above 2,000 feet to undergo Act 250 review.
“We have come up with a balanced bill that increases protections to Vermont’s environment, while also addressing some of the administrative concerns that have been brought to us throughout this process,” said committee chairwoman Amy Sheldon, a Democrat from Middlebury.
The legislation stems from an agreement reached between Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s administration and Vermont Natural Resources Council, an environmental group.
The bill is better because it will limit dividing Vermont’s forest through piecemeal development, said Brian Shupe, VNRC’s executive director.
“I think the most important piece is the expanded criteria to protect forests and wildlife habitat and address climate change,” he said.
Critics fault the negotiation between the VNRC and the administration and the outcome.
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