Legislators looking at a redo of conservation bill Phil Scott vetoed last year
Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets
House lawmakers passed a sweeping land and water conservation bill March 24, in what is effectively a do-over of legislation vetoed last year by Gov. Phil Scott.
H.126, which sets a goal of conserving half of Vermont’s land area and waters by 2050, is now heading through the Senate.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Amy Sheldon, D-Middlebury, who believes Vermont has a critical role to play in the global biodiversity crisis that has seen many species become threatened or disappear entirely.
“I thought we should apply Vermont's great experience in the conservation world to what's become a global and national priority,” Sheldon said. “We play a key role in it so we can also make a difference.”
Environmental advocates, such as the New England activist group Standing Trees, praised the conservation design that would be put in place if the bill is implemented.
“This is critical legislation that makes sure that as we continue to grow as a state, that we're smart about how we balance the management and uses of our lands and waters to make space for all of life in Vermont,” said Zack Porter, the group’s executive director.
The bill sets goals for conserving 30 percent of Vermont’s total land area and waters by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050. This would include all state, federal, municipal and private lands.
The bill would also require conservation planners to get input from residents and stakeholders such as private landowners, Vermont housing groups, working lands enterprises and Indigenous groups.
But the Vermont League of Cities and Towns believes the bill does not go far enough to address the state’s prominent housing crisis — and how the conservation measures could interfere with efforts to build more places for people to live.
“We're okay with the bill; I wouldn't say we're in full support of it, but we understand the motivation and we welcome the reference to housing,” said Karen Horn, director of public policy and advocacy for the league.
The sticking point for the league, Horn said, is the bill does not go as far as other bills looking to increase housing in the state. When considering which lands should be conserved, Horn said the bill should focus on lands such as floodplains and stormwater management areas before conserving lands that could be used for housing development.
Backers of the bill believe it can support both the need for housing as well as land conservation due to the bill's requirements of working with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board in the conservation design process.
"This isn't an either-or kind of scenario that the bill presents itself,” Porter said. “It's really an all-the-above scenario. We can provide the housing that we need for Vermonters, and we can provide biodiversity needs.”
In past sessions, bills like H.126 have made it through the Legislature but have been vetoed by Scott. Both Sheldon and environmental groups believe the bill will pass this session regardless of the governor’s decision.
“Last year we passed a bill out of the House and the Senate, and the governor vetoed it,” Sheldon said. “We did not come back from a veto session, but I believe we probably would have had the votes last year to override, and so we're trying again this year.”
