The Vermont House is set to take up legislation that would give people greater participation in state environmental enforcement actions.
The bill is up for House action today, and calls on the Agency of Natural Resources to provide notice of penalties that could be levied against polluters, and allows members of the public 30 days to comment on the proposed enforcement actions.
Supporters of the bill say it’s designed to change a current practice in which penalties are often negotiated by state officials and polluters behind closed doors, with little input from the public.
Members of the public wishing to weigh in would have to show they had been harmed by the illegal pollution.