Vermont Adopts Wetland Rules

The idea of protecting Vermont's wetlands was first brought to the legislature in 1979. Now, over ten years later, the Vermont Water Resources Board has finally adopted the state's freshwater wetland rules. At least two factors have contributed to this delay: the state's legislator's reluctance to pass wetland legislation and the insufficient guidance written into the Vermont Wetlands Act regarding how the rules should be structured. Despite these and other obstacles, the board has finally completed- and the legislature has finally approved- wetland rules with which the state of Vermont can begin to stem the continuing loss of its wetland resources.