“The Vermont Natural Resources Council commends Governor Phil Scott on the inclusive nature of his speech and willingness to work across party lines to achieve shared goals.
We are pleased that he expressed a commitment to improving protections for the state’s drinking waters, better protecting Vermonters from toxic chemicals, and cleaning up the PFOA contamination around the state.
And, while we appreciate that Governor Scott reiterated his commitment to meeting the state’s clean water goals through the implementation of Act 64 and following through on the EPA Lake Champlain cleanup plan, we were very disappointed and concerned that he did not appear to commit to funding Act 64’s implementation. It remains unclear how we will realistically uphold our legal obligations without filling the current funding gap. We will call on him to ensure that Vermont has the resources needed to clean up Lake Champlain and other waters of the state.
VNRC was also surprised and disappointed that the Governor failed to acknowledge the need to address climate change – the most pressing issue of our times. Given the change in administration in Washington D.C. this glaring omission is of deep concern to Vermonters.
We are committed to working with the Scott administration and the Legislature to address these, and other, challenges facing Vermont’s environment and communities in the years ahead.”
Brian Shupe, Executive Director