Vermont Wetland Buffer Reduction and USDA Roadless Rule Rescission Shape Housing and Forest Policy

The state of Vermont reached a compromise that cuts the required buffer around certain wetlands from 50 feet to 25 feet in areas earmarked for housing growth. The change, effective August 8, is part of a deal between Governor Phil Scott, environmental groups such as the Vermont Natural Resources Council and the Conservation Law Foundation, and housing advocate Miro Weinberger of Let’s Build Homes. Attorney General Charity Clark urged the administration to use the formal rulemaking process, and Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore said the reduced buffer could make building on up to 2,000 acres easier while still protecting significant wetlands.

Separately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins will rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The rescission removes protections for roughly 59 million acres of national forest, allowing road construction, timber harvesting and local land‑use decisions. The move is presented as a way to improve fire safety and increase access to forest resources, but critics warn it could harm forest health and the economies of communities that depend on undeveloped roadless areas, including those in Vermont.