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Montpelier, VT – Three committees of the Vermont Legislature held a joint hearing about damage to the state's rivers caused by Tropical Storm Irene and the clean-up efforts that followed it. WAMC's North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has more...
The House and Senate Natural Resources Committees and House Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources Committee were told that in the days and weeks following Tropical Storm Irene's flooding, Vermont became what one lawmaker called a "lawless state" when it came to its rivers.
Environmentalists and some state officials say that work done to clear out river channels blocked by silt and debris may have damaged fish habitat and other natural resources, as well as making rivers more prone to flooding in the future.
The commissioners of the state departments of Fish and Wildlife and Environmental Conservation, as well as representatives of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and environmental groups were among those testifying.
I'm Pat Bradley, WAMC News.
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