H 128 Vermont House · 2023-2024 Regular Session

An act relating to removing regulatory barriers for working lands businesses

This bill aims to reduce regulatory hurdles for businesses operating on working lands in Vermont by modifying requirements under Act 250. It directly affects wood products manufacturers, small forest processors, and farms that run accessory businesses like agritourism or on-site product processing. The legislation would lower soil mitigation fees for wood manufacturers, exempt small sawmills and forest processors from needing permits, and clarify definitions to allow more on-farm activities without permits. Additionally, it would require larger electric generation facilities over 500 kilowatts to obtain an Act 250 permit. These changes seek to modernize regulations to support forest and agricultural industries while maintaining oversight on larger-scale developments.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2023
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 31, 2023 Last action Feb 29, 2024
Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Amendments
2
Feb 29, 2024
Lower · Passed
Rep. Durfee of Shaftsbury moved to commit bill to the Committee on Environment and Energy, which was agreed to
lower
Feb 29, 2024
Introduced
Action Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
lower
Feb 28, 2024
Introduced
Notice Calendar: Favorable with Amendment
lower
Jan 31, 2023
Introduced
Read first time and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry
lower
1 primary · 13 co-sponsors

Sponsors