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Committee debates emergency dam drawdown authority, federal-permit limits and task-force review
Summary
Senators discussed draft bill language giving executive officials authority to order drawdowns or waive permits during flooding emergencies; members sought clarity on which agency makes threat determinations, whether federal permits can be waived, and asked that the state's dam task force review standards and refill plans.
The Senate Committee on Government Operations reviewed draft changes to emergency authorities related to dam drawdown and refill plans during the same hearing that considered miscellaneous amendments to emergency management and flood response.
Senators and witnesses debated who should determine that a flood event is "likely to cause substantial damage," and whether the secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) or Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) should have primary responsibility for that determination. A committee member asked whether VEM, which tracks weather and emergency warnings,…
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