An act relating to reducing chloride contamination of State waters

Section 3(5) now requires the ANR report to include 'a proposed annual amount of funding that would be required to meet the timelines for covering or movement' of salt storage facilities, adding a specific funding proposal tied to implementation timelines.

Section 5 (Fee Report) was restructured to insert an intermediate General Assembly approval requirement: any fee charged to commercial salt applicators under the Chloride Contamination Reduction Program must be approved by the General Assembly before the Secretary makes a second, combined recommendation covering both commercial and municipal salt applicator fees.

Standard official-version metadata was added: sponsor (Senator Watson), committee referral (Natural Resources and Energy), introduction date (January 7, 2026), subject line, and a statement of purpose summarizing the bill's provisions including the affirmative defense for certified applicators and municipal employees.

Section 5 now requires the Secretary of Natural Resources to recommend fees for both commercial salt applicators AND municipal salt applicators completing the Vermont Local Roads curriculum training. The General Assembly approval requirement was expanded to cover fees charged to either group under either program.

Section 5 adds a requirement that the Secretary of Natural Resources consult with the Secretary of Transportation before recommending certification fees, reflecting the joint role of both agencies in the municipal salt applicator curriculum.

Section 3(5) changes the storage facility report to require an estimate of the time necessary to cover or move all facilities requiring cover or movement, and rewords the funding language from 'a proposed annual amount of funding that would be required to meet the timelines' to 'an estimated annual amount of funding that would be needed.'

In Section 4(b), the phrase 'any provisions to the contrary of 24 V.S.A. section 901a to the contrary' was corrected to 'any provisions of 24 V.S.A. section 901a to the contrary,' removing a redundant 'to the contrary' that appeared twice in the original Senate text.