… “The first step is, obviously, knowing the scale of the problem,” said Tom Irwin of the Conservation Law Foundation. Irwin’s organization said the problem is significant: a March study done on brooks in the Seacoast towns of Portsmouth, Greenland and Newington found high levels of perfluorinated chemicals. Irwin said these toxins don’t degrade naturally.…
Apr 5
2017
2017
Apr 5
2017
2017
NH Seacoast Water Testing Finds High Levels of Dangerous Toxics
“We all have a stake in ensuring clean, healthy water, and seeing such high levels of toxic chemicals in our collective backyard is unacceptable,” said Tom Irwin, Director of CLF New Hampshire. “These toxics, which have already forced the closure of a drinking well at Pease, are flowing into local brooks and streams that lead to the Great Bay estuary, endangering communities throughout New Hampshire. It’s time for Pease Development Authority to step up and put an end to this perilous pollution.”
Mar 29
2017
2017
Advocates Push Lawmakers For Water Quality Funding
… 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…
Mar 20
2017
2017
Coalition Calls on Vermont Legislators to Protect Water Quality
“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 8
2017
2017
Baker Administration Takes Steps to Weaken Water Protections
“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 7
2017
2017
Vermont Takes Action to Rein in Stormwater Pollution
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…
Feb 28
2017
2017
Trump Administration Dismantles Critical Water Protections
“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
2017
CLF says legal action possible against Coakley Landfill Group
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…
Feb 9
2017
2017
What’s Next for Clean Water in Vermont
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…
Jan 24
2017
2017
Vermont Governor Makes Two-Year Commitment to Clean Water Funding
“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.”