by the Ethan Allen Institute
H492, restructuring the Natural Resources Board, passed the Vermont House of Representatives March 22 by a 92-49 vote.
Purpose: The purpose of this vote was to create a more specialized and professional board for overseeing Act 250 permits, which permits construction in specially designated areas that legislators and bureaucrats see as optimal for development.
Since 2004, Vermont’s Act 250 project criteria has been guided 9 volunteer District Environmental Commissions with support from District Environmental Coordinators.
The new Act 250 board would be made up of 1 full-time chair and 4 part-time members, who would serve 5 years terms. These 5 individuals by another committee, made up of 7 individuals in charge of nominating individuals to serve on the Act 250 commission. New bureaucratic salaries would are projected to grow the size of Vermont’s budget/government by $384,000 in F2023 and $614,000 in F2024 and in future years. Greater funding from the General Fund budget and/or Act 250 increases would be on the table.
Analysis: Those voting YES argued the changes in Act 250 will fast-track development in downtowns, lessen forest fragmentation, mitigate climate change, and funnel climate-related migration into legislator approved areas.
Those voting NO agree that the Act 250 process needs to be changed, but argued that H.492 does not offer the changes necessary for encouraging economic development. Adding bureaucratic positions will slow down the approval process, rather than speed it up. Businesses don’t find Vermont an attractive place to setup, because the current Act 250 process requires substantial financial resources, time and is ultimately unpredictable in granting construction permissions.
Opponents note that the board didn’t hear from any business that had actually gone though the Act 250 permitting process, only lawyers representing those businesses. Furthermore, the Natural Resources Board has a heavy workload, with over 500 permits in 2021, and is ready to spend $1 billion of ARPA federal funding. Restructuring the board could drastically delay permits in the pipeline and ARPA funding. A clear Act 250 framework for forestry businesses, recreational trails, farming is needed.
As Recorded in the House Journal, Tuesday, March 22, 2022: “…Shall the bill be amended as recommended by the Committee on Natural Resources, Fish, and Wildlife, as amended?, Rep. McCoy of Poultney demanded the Yeas and Nays, which demand was sustained by the Constitutional number. The Clerk proceeded to call the roll and the question, Shall the bill be amended as recommended by the Committee on Natural Resources, Fish, and Wildlife, as amended?, was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 92. Nays, 49” (Read the Journal, p. 764-787).
Watch the floor debate on YouTube.
These roll call reports are designed to help citizens understand how their elected representatives vote on key issues. The bills may or may not eventually become law. Click on the link to the bill page at the top of this post for an up to date status on the bill.
Related:
Vermont Joint Fiscal Office Note on H.492
EAI Blog: Two More Act 250 Horror Stories
Roll Call! Senate Resolves Against Governor’s Act 250 Reform Order (22-8), 2021
Roll Call! House Votes Against Constituent Input on Act 250 Reform Bill (45-93), 2020
Roll Call! House Restricts Private Property/Development Rights (85-58), 2017
How They Voted
(Click on your Rep’s name to send an email)
| Sally Achey (R – Middletown Springs) – ABSENT Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES Peter Anthony (D – Barre City) – YES Norman Arrison (D – Weathersfield) – YES Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – YES Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – YES Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES Alyssa Black (D – Essex) – YES Tiffany Bluemle (D – Burlington) – ABSENT Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – YES Seth Bongartz (D – Manchester) – YES Michelle Bos-Lun (D – Westminster) – YES Erin Brady (D – Williston) – YES Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – NO Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – YES Jana Brown (D – Richmond) – YES Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – YES Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – YES Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – NO Mollie Burke (P/D – Brattleboro) – YES Elizabeth Burrows (P/D – West Windsor) – YES Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES Bill Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – NO Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – YES Brian Cina (P/D – Burlington) – YES Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES Selene Colburn (P/D – Burlington) – YES Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – YES Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – YES Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – YES Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – YES Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – YES Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland City) – NO Lynn Dickinson (R – St. Albans Town) – NO Karen Dolan (D – Essex) – YES Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – YES Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – NO Kate Donnally (D – Hyde Park) – YES David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – ABSENT Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – YES Peter Fagan (R – Rutland City) – NO Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – NO John Gannon (D – Wilmington) – YES Rey Garofano (D – Essex) – YES Leslie Goldman (D – Bellows Falls) – YES Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – NO Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – YES Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – NO James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – NO Lisa Hango (R – Berkshire) – NO James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – NO Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – YES Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – YES Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – YES Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – YES Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – YES Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – YES John Kascenska (R – Burke) – NO John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – YES Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – YES Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – PRESIDING Larry Labor (R – Morgan) – NO Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – NO Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – YES Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – YES Wayne LaRoche (R – Franklin) – NO | Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – YES Samantha Lefebvre (R – Orange) – NO Felisha Leffler (R – Enosburgh) – ABSENT William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – YES Emily Long (D – Newfane) – YES Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO James Masland (D – Thetford) – YES Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans City) – YES Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – YES Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – NO James McCullough (D – Williston) – YES Francis McFaun (R – Barre Town) – NO Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Michael Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – YES Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – NO Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – YES Emma Mulvaney-Stanak (D – Burlington) – NO Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – NO Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES Michael Nigro (D – Bennington) – YES Robert Norris (R – Sheldon) – NO Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – NO William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – YES John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES “Woody” Page (R – Newport City) – NO Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – YES John Palasik (R – Milton) – ABSENT Joseph Parsons (R – Newbury) – NO Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – YES Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – ABSENT Henry Pearl (D – Danville) – NO Arthur Peterson (R – Clarendon) – NO Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – YES Barbara Rachelson (D/P – Burlington) – YES Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – YES Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO Larry Satcowitz (D – Randolph) – YES Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – YES Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – NO Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – NO Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – YES Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – YES Katherine Sims (D – Craftsbury) – YES Taylor Small (P/D – Winooski) – NO Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – NO Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – YES Gabrielle Stebbins (D – Burlington) – YES Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – YES Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – ABSENT Heather Suprenant (D – Barnard) – ABSENT Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – YES Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland Town) – NO George Till (D – Jericho) – YES Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – YES Casey Toof (R – St. Albans Town) – NO Maida Townsend (D – S. Burlington) – YES Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D – Essex) – NO Matt Walker (R – Swanton) – NO Tommy Walz (D – Barre City) – YES Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – YES Kirk White (P/D – Bethel) – YES Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – YES Dane Whitman (D – Bennington) – YES Terri Lynn Williams (R – Granby) – NO Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – YES David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – YES Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES |
Categories: Legislation
Gee…another board, committee or commission made up of “other than elected officials”? Surprise. There go more of our freedom folks.