[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6274976,"mediaKeyId","2777177-c6af82ab2348acdb9f4f3c1366226c90","parentId",2777177,"title","Committee hears ANR request to push flood‑safety, river‑corridor and resilience deadlines in H.319","audioSeconds",411,"startMs",1435000,"endMs",1846000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2777177-c6af82ab2348acdb9f4f3c1366226c90&start=1435&end=1846","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2777177-c6af82ab2348acdb9f4f3c1366226c90/thumbnail_1435000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6274976/Vermont/Committee-hears-ANR-request-to-push-floodsafety-rivercorridor-and-resilience-deadlines-in-H319","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6274976-aa576a663cd3a04d08daf987499af2e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770220529&Signature=ZTRJa9oJSFluUKnLyM3s07UesT75wMlKDIHjnc41rR4RyUc6w5ybidvo1Y9Y9I5oXoCctmZj6iEQClbWpl29yo65WRTmhxVkUqeqaG2qCgSnIWVOjgYYuvQ83cgYILpM2mfKzzGFt4SdOnDiWwGxfaAz4yhPnirTB8jQyzclqF4A1VPtE5VP88bycR~azqWD4UhQr0kVrbaNWZhcMqhJPzE5E8BQ7MhXwnvA2LdQYiNkOFXzvwbIUN-RqmiuIEmZplPZXFmpPQx7IiZb3bc66qliQSvAgJLlhLT2O13JvAb~bJ7iT88aCpQwICWonJl8gmRs~e9qD9ZT00l67-yv0g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","VT Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy","date","2025-03-26T13:00:54Z","article","The House Natural Resources & Energy Committee on March 26 considered H.319 amendments that would move back multiple DEC implementation deadlines tied to the Flood Safety Act, dam emergency planning, and the Climate Superfund Act resilience strategy.

Why it matters: Rules, maps and permitting changes tied to river corridors and flood standards affect development, permitting timelines and local flood resilience planning across the state. DEC staff said the agency’s ability to complete the legislative tasks on the original schedule was strained by repeated flood events and workforce shortfalls.

DEC river program and dam‑safety witnesses told the committee that the Flood Safety Act requires a large set of mapping, outreach, rulemaking and reporting tasks. Rob Evans, who manages the Rivers program, said the program expected to need five to six years to complete the work because of hiring, training and contract procurement timelines; the agency has new positions but must recruit staff and execute contracts. Evans said the program received multiple federal disaster declarations in 14 months, which diverted staff to flood recovery work.

The bill moves several deadlines by roughly one year in many sections: river corridor base‑map work, an education and outreach report, rule deadlines for development standards in river corridors, and the effective date for flood hazard area standards. DEC counsel and staff said they requested the shifts to allow time to hire and train staff and to avoid overlapping rulemaking and public‑participation windows with active recovery work.

Dam safety testimony noted two items in H.319: a study committee on dam emergency operations (report moved from Aug. 15, 2025 to Aug. 15, 2026 in the bill) and a Green River Reservoir Dam and dike study whose deadline was shifted from Jan. 15, 2025 to Sept. 1, 2025. Ben Green, dam‑safety section chief, said the committee has held five of eight planned meetings and expects to complete the emergency‑operations report by the revised December deadline if the additional time is granted. He said the Green River study is on schedule to finish field work and deliver a final report by late summer, and that some elements of the consultant work will be shared in a public version with a separate sensitive version for federally regulated infrastructure.

On the Climate Superfund Act resilience strategy, ANR witnesses asked that the statute’s requirement to adopt the resilience implementation strategy by rule be removed so the agency can instead submit the finalized strategy to the General Assembly as a report by Sept. 15, 2025. ANR officials said the strategy is nearing completion, that the agency has already met public‑participation requirements, and that the strategy is designed to be a flexible, frequently updated implementation plan rather than a fixed rule.

Public‑interest witnesses and environmental advocates supported giving the agency the capacity to complete the work but urged the committee to minimize delays on mapping and permitting because of the continuing frequency of storms. Committee members flagged small drafting issues (for example, a date read as July 15 rather than July 1) and asked DEC to confirm exact effective dates and to return with clarifying language.

No formal committee vote on H.319 was recorded in the hearing transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Natural Resources and Energy's Zoom Meeting 03-26-2025 9:00 Am","oneSentenceSummary","DEC and stakeholders told the House Natural Resources & Energy Committee that recent floods, staffing shortfalls and contracting timelines mean the agency needs more time to deliver river‑corridor maps, rulemaking and dam‑safety studies required under last year’s flood safety and climate legislation.","taxTitle","Natural Resources & Energy, SENATE, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",48480,"location","Vermont","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6274980,"Committee reviews H.319 changes to producer‑responsibility programs for household hazardous waste and batteries",296,84000,380000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2777177-c6af82ab2348acdb9f4f3c1366226c90&start=84&end=380","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2777177-c6af82ab2348acdb9f4f3c1366226c90/thumbnail_84000.jpg","/articles/6274980/Vermont/Committee-reviews-H319-changes-to-producerresponsibility-programs-for-household-hazardous-waste-and-batteries","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6274980-1bb937e69f72a538c6ec6b1f7c382b77/orig.mp4?Expires=1770220529&Signature=Wx-oLdC1KQXU8n75Sj7BzpBuwKmNIKZsch1m4mvgkcpzl8hs45y8JLV0mIfpiuRk7pXnhNMcBTBrBhyPZIX3OMzCoeOkVtTGBLas7prYRM6KfWayHPYW2l2x9RcLSE9o0zvXsSxvsc2A4zvPe6boWJpMKaCQo3gGicWw2ztGqhmtDt57L4jborVMRL~WtrVGzSeuCM3iUoxRnQNWkyAEJF3X~5oD-6leNIjKNxhPT1k56V9w48Hz8hnmdpg4LGXXEb3ySu2h7BIh8NMpBFHyIR-bGx9pVNXrkKmGMq7SSZgzeaKactxSpl2Kt1Wiy1d13QP5GEslbPQg2-VKi16mkw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Natural Resources & Energy Committee on March 26 heard a presentation and public testimony on H.319, a bill that would amend implementation schedules and enforcement tools for several Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) producer‑responsibility programs, including the household hazardous waste (HHW) stewardship program and a battery study required of the stewardship organization. Committee staff and DEC witnesses described schedule changes, new registration and enforcement requirements, and an ANR backstop if manufacturers fail to form an approved stewardship organization.

Why it matters: The bill rewrites implementation steps for a program intended to shift the cost and organization of HHW collection from municipal solid‑waste districts to manufacturers. Stakeholders said the changes are intended to avoid leaving municipalities to cover rising disposal and contractor costs if industry organizers miss deadlines.

Under H.319 as discussed, manufacturers of covered household hazardous products must register with a stewardship organization; the bill creates an initial, truncated three‑year collection plan followed by a fuller plan once the stewardship organization collects operational data. The bill moves several DEC deadlines: stewardship organizations would file initial registration by July 1, 2025, begin the initial plan implementation on or about July 1, 2026, and begin annual renewals thereafter. The landfill‑disposal prohibition for covered HHW would be delayed until the stewardship program has a viable collection system.

DEC witnesses described additional authority for the agency: if manufacturers and a stewardship organization do not file an adequate collection plan, the agency could adopt a collection plan itself and recover administrative costs from manufacturers, plus an additional assessment (the bill discusses a 10% charge above direct oversight costs). The bill also includes a stop‑sale enforcement tool: manufacturers that fail to register or participate may not sell covered products in the state.

Municipal and district representatives and EPR program advocates said they support the extension of deadlines because manufacturers have not finished organizing. Southern Vermont Solid Waste District officials said disposal costs for one district run roughly $100,000 a year and that program estimates for statewide HHW administration and implementation have ranged in testimony from about $5 million to $8 million. Districts said the bill’s backstop and reimbursement provisions are important to prevent municipalities from shouldering those costs.

The bill likewise moves a DEC deadline for a battery‑type study. DEC counsel said the stewardship organization will now report on whether and how to bring large or complex batteries (for example, hybrid‑electric vehicle batteries and certain energy storage systems) into the state battery program, and the report deadline was changed from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2027 to allow coordination with other states conducting similar studies.

Stakeholders asked the committee to avoid exemptions for product categories (for example, paint‑related products) in this stage; paint industry representatives said they seek further discussion and possible separate inclusion under the established PaintCare stewardship model.

The committee took testimony and asked clarifying questions; no formal vote on H.319 was recorded in the session transcript.","The House Natural Resources & Energy Committee on March 26 heard departmental and stakeholder testimony on H.319 amendments that delay deadlines and add implementation and enforcement tools for extended producer‑responsibility programs covering household hazardous products and batteries.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears ANR request to push flood‑safety, river‑corridor and resilience deadlines in H.319

Committee reviews H.319 changes to producer‑responsibility programs for household hazardous waste and batteries