Oct 12, 2023

Coventry Landfill Violating Law

“The owners of this landfill are blatantly ignoring the law and robbing Vermonters of the right to weigh in on a project that will affect public health and the environment,” said Nora Bosworth, Zero Waste Attorney at CLF. “State laws exist for a reason, and the Coventry landfill can’t be allowed to continue operating this system in defiance of the law. It’s time for the Agency of Natural Resources to step in.”

landfill with garbage trucks
Jun 21, 2023

CLF, VNRC Join Community Effort to Stop Coventry Landfill Pollution

“The State’s decision is an assault on one of our bedrock environmental protections,” said CLF attorney Mason Overstreet. “Dangerous chemicals are leaching out of this landfill and polluting the Black River and Lake Memphremagog, a drinking water source for thousands of people.  The State’s irresponsible decision not to require a Clean Water Act permit blows a hole through the law’s core protections and leaves Vermonters exposed to pollutants. The court should reverse the state’s decision and require a permit with effective pollution control limits.”

Lake Memphremagog
Mar 14, 2023

EPA Proposes New Rules for Toxic PFAS Chemicals

“EPA has finally set drinking water standards for two of the dozens of toxic PFAS compounds being found in drinking water across the country and adopted a risk-based algorithm for others,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “Applause should be muted. The federal government dithered on this issue decades, as a generation of children drank unsafe water, and EPA did so even as many states acted more urgently to adopt more protective standards.”

A water faucet
Dec 15, 2022

Amid Pressure, VT Legislators Delay Vote on Pesticide Rule

“People have a right to make their voice heard when harmful chemicals are being used in their neighborhoods,” said CLF attorney Mason Overstreet. “The proposed rule threatens public health and runs counter to the goals laid out in Vermont’s climate laws. Legislators made the right decision in postponing a vote, and this rule should go back to the drawing board.”

Vermont's state house in autumn
Jun 21, 2022

RI House Passes PFAS Protection Bill

“PFAS chemicals are a toxic scourge on our environment and our health,” said CLF attorney James Crowley. “These forever chemicals have no place in our water, and this bill will help ensure that Rhode Islanders can feel confident that our drinking water is safe. We look forward to Governor McKee signing this bill into law, and we urge the Department of Health to work quickly to adopt a permanent drinking water standard.”

Photo: Rhode Island State Capitol Building
Oct 18, 2021

EPA Announces Plan to Confront PFAS Pollution

“The EPA’s new plan is a key, first step in the battle to protect communities from these dangerous chemicals,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “But PFAS-type compounds of varying names are still being created, used, and released into the environment. The government must go further to stop this assembly line of ‘forever chemicals’ and hold the manufacturers accountable for the widespread contamination of the nation’s air, land, and water.”

Oct 06, 2021

States Must Phase Out PFAS-Laden Pesticides

“Pesticides are already poisonous by design, and we now know the risks to human health are even greater than previously thought,” said Maggie Super Church, Vice President of Healthy and Resilient Communities at CLF. “PFAS pose a grave danger to human health, and they have no place being sprayed on lands where they can seep into groundwater. It’s time for state leaders across New England to step up and get serious about reducing exposure to these toxic chemicals.”  

Sep 29, 2021

Cape Cod Commission Approves Expansion Plans for Polluting Bourne Ash Landfill

“Bourne is trading short-term economic gain for long-term pollution,” said Kirstie Pecci, Director of CLF’s Zero Waste Project. “The Bourne Landfill is already leaching toxic garbage juice into groundwater, and this expansion will only make matters worse. It’s time to stop looking for more places to bury waste and get serious about reducing trash before it reaches incinerators and landfills.”

landfill