Clean water is essential to Vermonters’ health, well-being, and quality of life. By adopting policies to better protect and restore our river corridors, riparian buffers along streams, and enhance our wetlands, we will improve water quality, increase species biodiversity, support our tourism and outdoor recreation economies, address stormwater, filter groundwater, and restore the cold-water habitat for which Vermont streams are renowned. Importantly, the Climate Action Plan also recognized that these policies are essential for Vermont to create climate-resilient communities by maintaining access to clean water for all, sequestering and storing carbon, and reducing flood risks.
Legislative Priorities for 2023:
- Adopt better protections for our rivers by implementing a flood hazard, river corridor, and riparian protection program.
- Increase conservation and restoration of wetlands, as recommended in the Climate Action Plan, by establishing a “net gain” policy, that includes improved wetland data collection as to location, size, and function; and provide ample compensation when impact is unavoidable.