For Immediate Release
February 28, 2020
Contact: Katherine Levasseur
(802) 828-2245
HOUSE PASSES BILL TO MODERNIZE ACT 250
Montpelier, VT - The Vermont House today passed H.926, a bill designed to update the state’s landmark Act 250 land development and use law on a vote of 88-52.
“Our state, and the challenges we face, have evolved in the fifty years since Act 250 was enacted,” said House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero). “It’s time to modernize this landmark law to reflect today’s needs. This bill eases Act 250 regulations for downtowns and village centers where development is strategic and sustainable. It also works to strengthen natural resource protection by promoting sustainable trail development, protecting forest blocks and supporting working forests. This bill also supports working agricultural lands and strengthens our state’s environmental protections. H.926 is a significant part of our climate change agenda and also promotes our shared goal of protecting our natural resources.”
Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish, & Wildlife, Representative Amy Sheldon (D-Middlebury) added, “Act 250 is the reason that we have the Vermont we love and cherish today. The rate of land development is increasing and has substantially exceeded the rate of population growth. Additionally, the rate of land parcelization is increasing. Water quality is declining and species are going extinct at an ever accelerating rate.This bill proposes changes that integrate new awareness of climate change, ecosystem protection, and environmental justice. H926 strikes a balance between increasing project review to protect important resources while releasing certain areas from Act 250 review where we want to encourage development and where jurisdiction no longer applies.”
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