Vt. Supreme Court hears arguments over Cavendish quarry

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - The Vermont Supreme Court Wednesday reheard arguments in a case with big implications for Act 250, the state’s land-use law.

It stems from the development of a Cavendish quarry that’s been in the works since 2017. A back-and-forth legal disagreement over whether it needed an Act 250 permit made it to the high court, which unanimously ruled that projects on a parcel smaller than an acre in towns without local zoning regulations don’t need Act 250.

The case made it back to the high court Wednesday. Act 250 administrators and environmental groups want the justices to reconsider. “It’s not just a Pandora’s box, it’s worse than a Pandora’s box,” said Jim Dumont, a lawyer representing environmental groups.

“If the court were to choose to do that and restructure the statute in that manner, it would place this court into amending the statute and engaging in rulemaking,” said Lawrence Slason, an attorney representing the quarry.

As a result of the initial ruling, lawmakers this week were working to clarify Act 250′s legislative intent.

Related Story:

How a small quarry could have a big effect on Vermont’s land use law

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