By Sam Douglass

Chair of the House Committee on Environment, Rep. Amy Sheldon (D-Middlebury), stated in committee Tuesday that she is looking at a repeal of the road rule and Tier 3 provisions in Act 181, citing division, committee testimony, and feedback from Vermonters.

“So I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the weekend, and I’m sure you all have too… I feel like maybe the tier concept, even broadly, is dividing us, so I want to rethink maybe even that very fundamental thing,” Sheldon said at 3:40 PM today in discussion of S.325, the Act 181 reform bill. “But certainly, we don’t need our shared interest in protecting our environment to divide Vermont, particularly at this moment. So I guess I’ll start by saying that I’m looking at repealing the road rule and the tier three and revisiting how we structure that in a path that goes forward,” said Sheldon.

The 2024 legislation has been the subject of debate and controversy on social media and has been described as the erasure of rural Vermont. Act 181 eased housing restrictions in urban areas but added new layers of regulation to developing property in rural areas – including the Road Rule that automatically kicks in Act 250 review for properties with roads or driveways 800 feet.

Rep. Michael Tagliavia (R-Corinth), who has been at the center of much of the debate in committee, is pleased by his chair’s decision but stressed that there’s a lot of hard work still ahead for supporters of the repeal.

“I was a happy camper,” he said to VDC this evening. “But we’re far away from the goal lines and we can’t stop now.”

Repeal measures for the road rule and Tier 3 faced a likely vote and roll call on the House floor, which some Democrats have been expected to join House Republicans in supporting.

Act 181 reform activist Neil Ryan was enthusiastic in his response to a VDC inquiry:

“What happened in the House Committee on Environent over the last few weeks is the best of Vermont. Regular old Vermonters made their case articulately and accurately and our legislators listened and acted decisively. Legilslators and witnesses alike brought effort and humanity to that committee room.”