Mar 29, 2017
… Rebekah Weber, the lakekeeper at Conservation Law Foundation, says it isn’t just water quality advocates that are demanding real action on funding in 2017. A coalition that includes the Vermont Farm Bureau, Vermont Mayors Coalition, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and numerous environmentalist groups sent a letter to lawmakers last week, asking them to… Continue reading Advocates Push Lawmakers For Water Quality Funding
Mar 20, 2017
“Clean water is an absolute right for everyone who lives, works and plays in Vermont, yet we still have a long way to go in protecting this vital resource,” said CLF Lake Champlain Lakekeeper Rebekah Weber. “We’ve seen beach closures, lowered property values, business losses, and serious public health risks from the pollutants we allow into our waterways. The people of Vermont deserve better, and it’s time for our elected representatives to step up to the plate.”
Mar 08, 2017
“EPA’s permitting program has for decades provided important protections for our water,” said CLF attorney Caitlin Peale Sloan. “Proposing inadequate funding from an already-strapped environmental protection budget in order to create a weak program demonstrates a real lack of understanding on behalf of our state leaders. While we certainly have reason to be wary about EPA’s continued ability to perform in the coming years, we cannot allow these near-term fears to push us into making a dangerous, long-term change. Massachusetts legislators should reject the proposal in its current form, and CLF welcomes the opportunity to work with the Baker Administration in finding a solution that actually provides continued protection for our natural resources.”
Mar 07, 2017
Vermont’s House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife is considering a bill to improve how the state manages its rainfall. Pollution from stormwater runoff is one of the gravest threats to clean water in New England. When rain falls on pavement rather than soil, two things happen: first, it gains speed as it runs… Continue reading Vermont Takes Action to Rein in Stormwater Pollution
Feb 28, 2017
“Today the President said clearly and unequivocally that ensuring Americans have access to clean and safe water is not on his to-do list,” said Christopher Kilian, Director of CLF’s Clean Water and Healthy Forests program. “Repealing this critical protection not only defies the broad-based will of the American people, but it also places our region’s wetlands, streams and coastal estuaries at risk. New Englanders deserve better, and CLF stands ready to fight this catastrophic action at all costs.”
Feb 24, 2017
The Conservation Law Foundation official has not ruled out taking legal action against the Coakley Landfill Group. Tom Irwin, vice president and director of CLF New Hampshire, said “it’s an option we’ve not dismissed” when asked during an editorial board meeting Wednesday if it’s something CLF has considered. “I’ll just say it’s a possibility at… Continue reading CLF says legal action possible against Coakley Landfill Group
Feb 09, 2017
This past year was big for clean water in Vermont. The pollution limits for Lake Champlain were finalized, and a slew of new rules for agriculture, development and wastewater were established. CLF fought hard to shape these new policies to protect the environment and to ensure we have regular check-ins and honest accounting on how… Continue reading What’s Next for Clean Water in Vermont
Jan 24, 2017
“There is no doubt that a significant investment in clean water is essential for the economy, property values, tourism, recreation and the environment, and the question now is how we are going to get there,” said Rebekah Weber, CLF’s Lake Champlain Lakekeeper. “Today the governor took a big step in the right direction, but his funding plan falls short of what we need to ensure safe, healthy water for all Vermonters. By doubling his proposed investment and extending it beyond the next two years, Governor Scott can send a strong message that ensuring clean water must be a top priority.”
Jan 11, 2017
CLF has filed a lawsuit against the redeveloper of the site of the Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for violating the Clean Water Act. Pollution from the site is fouling local waterways, including the Great Bay estuary, with numerous pollutants, including toxic chemicals of growing concern. From Air Force Base to a… Continue reading CLF Sues the Pease Development Authority to Clean Up Toxic Stormwater Pollution
Dec 08, 2016
The cleanup of Boston Harbor wasn’t Senior Counsel Peter Shelley’s first big case with CLF (as a third-year law student in the late 1970s, he was part of the landmark effort to stop oil and gas drilling on Georges Bank), but it has certainly been the most iconic of his long career with the organization.… Continue reading From the Trenches: Peter Shelley and Boston Harbor