Category: environment
BISTOL — The efforts by the Lathrop Limited Partnership and Jim Lathrop to site a gravel pit on a 65-acre tract off Notch Road and Rounds Road in Bristol were dealt a setback on Tuesday when the District 9 Environmental Commission denied the project an Act 250 permit.
The commission ruled the proposal, which has been tied up in permitting and litigation for around seven years, “would cause and result in a detriment to public health, safety or general welfare.”
ADDISON COUNTY — Warm weather earlier this month sparked blue-green algae blooms in Lake Champlain’s waters, prompting the Vermont Department of Health to caution boaters, swimmers, pet-owners and other residents to avoid contact with the contaminated water.
The water may not be clear, but this much is: Pollution in the form of phosphorus entering the lake poses a serious threat to Lake Champlain’s waters.
Editor’s note: This article is the second in a three-part series about the Lake Champlain clean-up efforts. After examining the state of the county’s waterways on July 15, we’re turning our attention to the divisive debate about the role agriculture plays in water quality degradation. (All articles are available after print publication online at www.addisonindependent.com.) In next week’s final installment, we look ahead to what’s on the horizon for clean up efforts in the Lake Champlain basin.
Editor’s note: With frustration brewing about the amount being spent on Lake Champlain clean-up efforts — and the apparent lack of results in better water quality — the Addison Independent set out to understand the complicated discussion about water quality in Vermont, with a focus on the agricultural industry often pinpointed as a main culprit in lake pollution.
NEW HAVEN — The New Haven Planning Commission Tuesday afternoon began the process of weighing in on a proposal by Cross Pollination LLC to build a solar farm off Route 7.
Commissioners acknowledged in a draft letter to the Public Service Board (PSB) that while the company’s potential solar installation largely fits New Haven’s town plan, large questions remain about how the solar farm would be executed, operated and ultimately decommissioned.
MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury College last week received a grant of $137,000 to do thermal energy retrofits on three campus buildings.
The Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund announced the recipients of $1.7 million in grants on June 16. The college was among 14 public-serving institutions — defined as hospitals, colleges, universities and government buildings — in the state to receive a grant. The money comes from federal economic stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and was allocated to the institutions to encourage renewable energy and efficiency.
NEW HAVEN — A team of Winooski-based engineers is proposing to build one of the state’s largest solar farms on a 40-acre portion of a 180-acre parcel on the west side of Route 7, across from the Hill Top RV Center in New Haven.
The proposed project, on land owned by Albert and Gail Freyer, would feature 178 ground-mounted solar trackers with photovoltaic panels capable of harvesting enough energy to power 500 homes annually. It would also include an organic farm operation calling for sheep and goats to graze near the high-tech equipment.
MONTPELIER — Legislative leaders will let stand Gov. James Douglas’ override of proposed changes to the “Current Use” program, opting against a special session of the Legislature in favor of designating the issue a top priority for next year.
