Vermont Supreme Court maintains status quo on Act 250
MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - The Vermont Supreme Court has reversed course and maintained the status quo for Act 250.
The decision stems from the development of a Cavendish quarry that has been in the works since 2017.
A back-and-forth legal battle over whether it needed an Act 250 permit made it to the high court.
Last fall, they unanimously ruled that projects on a parcel smaller than an acre in towns without local zoning regulations don’t need Act 250.
In oral arguments last month, environmentalists and former natural resources officials said the decision would upend Act 250.
And in an opinion issued last week, justices unanimously reversed their decision.
“In some respects, we avoided a problem we would have created had they not reversed the case. It’s not like there’s anything new or there’s a gain for the environment, it’s the status quo, and that’s a good thing,” said Brian Shupe of the Vermont Natural Resources Council.
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