In updated emergency order, Phil Scott waives regulations to expedite Vermont’s flood recovery

Days after a deluge flooded a broad swath of central and northern Vermont , Gov. Phil Scott waived a series of state regulations to assist the recovery effort.

Scott signed an updated executive order Saturday morning temporarily lifting certain regulations pertaining to professional licensing, gravel and rock extraction, asphalt and concrete production, debris removal, motor vehicle registration and work in streams and wetlands.

“With so much infrastructure damage, this is critical for towns and Vermonters to access the tools needed to move forward with repairs to roads, bridges, homes and businesses,” Scott said in a written statement.

The latest updates were added to an executive order Scott first issued in July 2023. At that time, the governor declared a state of emergency as another storm was expected to wreak havoc on Vermont. He amended that order many times over the last year and, on Wednesday, used it as a vehicle to address the latest emergency.

Wednesday’s version implemented the state’s emergency operations plan, activated the Vermont National Guard and suspended “relevant rules and permitting requirements” to respond to the storm.

Saturday’s updates more specifically waive regulations in a number of areas on a temporary basis. Those include:

• Professional licensing : The secretary of state is directed to issue temporary licenses to out-of-state engineers, foresters, surveyors, contractors, pharmacists, security personnel and others. Certain license renewal deadlines for in-state professionals have also been extended.
• Construction material : Certain restrictions on gravel and rock extraction, as well as asphalt and concrete production — including those related to operating hours, noise, volume of extraction and trucking — are lifted. The Agency of Transportation can make use of unpermitted gravel pits and rock quarries. The Coventry landfill can extend its hours and accept more waste.
• Waterways and wetlands : The Agency of Natural Resources may waive notice requirements for infrastructure repair in waterways and changes to dam safety, and the agency shall allow certain emergency work in Class I and Class II wetlands.
• Motor vehicles : Those transporting key goods and services related to the emergency are exempt from maximum drive times.
• Debris removal : State agencies are allowed to clear or remove debris and wreckage related to the storm.

Some of these regulatory changes expire at a date certain, while others are more open-ended as the existing executive order remains in place.

Read the story on VTDigger here: In updated emergency order, Phil Scott waives regulations to expedite Vermont’s flood recovery .