NH Green Snow Pro program cited as model as Vermont panel debates H86 liability, training and funding

Officials from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services told a Vermont legislative panel Wednesday, April 9, that New Hampshire’s Green Snow Pro certification and limited-liability provisions have helped reduce road-salt use while still allowing property owners and contractors to defend against slip-and-fall claims.

Ted Diers, assistant director for the Water Division at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, and Aubrey Velker, New Hampshire’s salt reduction program coordinator, described how New Hampshire began a voluntary salt-reduction program after monitoring found elevated chloride levels and after an Interstate-93 widening increased paved surfaces. Diers said the state began a voluntary training and certification program in the mid-2000s and later added a liability-relief element to encourage contractors to use less salt.

The testimony came during discussion of H86, a Vermont bill that would create a certification-based program for winter applicators and includes a limited-liability presumption for certified applicators. The issue has drawn attention in Vermont because municipalities and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns urged lawmakers to pair any new liability protection with municipal monetary caps or other taxpayer protections.

How New Hampshire’s program works Aubrey Velker described the Green Snow Pro certification process and recordkeeping requirements. Applicants must complete approved coursework, pass an exam and file an annual certification application and fee with New Hampshire DES. Velker said individual certificants pay an annual application fee of $150; a master certificate (typically for a company…