WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Democrats for Governor Discuss Environment at Forum

Democrats for Governor Discuss Environment at Forum

Burlington, Vermont - November 19, 2009

The five Democratic candidates for governor squared off at a forum in Burlington, Thursday night. It was hosted by the Vermont League of Conservation Voters and focused solely on environmental issues.

Many of the answers from the candidates were the same but one place they differed slightly was in response to a question about what, if anything, is wrong with the Act 250 permit process and what they would do to fix it.

All of the candidates defended Act 250 as a great law that protects the environment. Its strongest defense came from Senate President Pro Tem, Peter Shumlin, who said Act 250 should be as cherished as the constitution of Vermont.

"Ninety-seven percent of the folks that go through Act 250, and I'm one of them I am a real estate developer, go through the process without problems," he said.

The other candidates admitted the Act 250 process has flaws. State Senator Doug Racine said he is tired of those flaws being an excuse to diminish environmental protections and cut the public out of the process.

"We approach this as a management issue," he said. "Maintain those values that we hold dear, recognize the shortcomings, and make sure that we don't let those shortcomings again become excuses for not acting."

Former state senator Matt Dunne said he would set a timeline for the permitting process, use technology to create greater transparency, and prioritize the use of recycled land as they did in his hometown.

"We needed to make sure we were recycling the industrialized, abandoned land and building jobs and housing there before we started to compromise our farm and forest land," said Dunne.

Secretary of State, Deb Markowitz, said the Act 250 process needs to be streamlined and the role of the public needs to be preserved.

"But my real concern is that ANR has lost it's way," she added. "ANR has a public purpose it's supposed to be protecting the natural environment for all of us, and our children and our grandchildren."

State Senator Susan Bartlett said the best way to streamline the Act 250 process is to integrate the 40 or 50 permits the Agency of Natural Resources issues.

"We have three things to protect - air, water, and the land - I don't think it takes 50 different permits that are overlapping and conflicting to deal with that," she said.

One of the other topics discussed tonight was the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. All five of the candidates agreed, as things stand right now, the plant should not get a license extension when its current license runs out in 2012.

Bianca Slota - WCAX News