Talk:Act 250 (Vermont law)
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[edit] Cleanup
In an effort to clear the April 2006 Cleanup tag, and list the 10 Criteria still needed for this document, I completed some major revision to better align with Wiki standards, neutralize POV, and generally make text more concise. I highly encourage additional revisions. Mrsmaple 18:13, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Loopholes in Vermont Act 250 law as it applies to Quarries and Strip Mines
Strip mines and quarries are among a few places where Vermont Act-250 Environmental permits are allowed to close or expire.
Most other permits remain open forever. If the permitted activity is found to cause environmental or other harm, the Act-250 office can take steps to help in most cases. This is not true for strip mines and quarries - Once these permits are closed, Act 250 control is limited.
From my research to date the three main things lacking from the law are:
1) Notification – When an Act-250 permit expires or is closed, it does so quietly. There is no requirement for the quarry owner to notify adjoining land owners, town governments or regional planning districts. The cost of this would be minimal compared to future damage.
2) Snapshot - When a permit is closed / expired the Actt-250 office can only take a 'snapshot' of the site. They cannot look at what changes are occurring (like rising water, or pumps being stopped, in my case). There does not seem to be a provision to extend jurisdiction in these cases to see where it will 'level off'.
3) Future Damage - If an expired / closed permitted activity is found to cause unforeseen subsequent damage, there is no way to re-open the permit for that reason.
Expired quarry permits are difficult to re-open. You must proove that they were closed incorrectly. This takes much time and effort. Such has been the case with permit # 2W0551
If you live near a quarry / strip mine, or know someone who does, pay extra attention to the Act-250 permits. Failure to do so may cause serious environmental damage or damage to your property. Civil action may be your only solution, which can be very expensive.
Mining and quarries are important industries to the state of Vermont. It seems that most are operated responsibly. We just need the controls to be sure that this activity does not cause damage in the future.
Jbmcc1 02:24, 9 November 2006 (UTC) Jbmcc1 02:50, 9 November 2006 (UTC) Jim McCandless www.HelpAct250.com link title
