Environment & Natural Resources
Environmental policy was shaped by implementation fights rather than sweeping new mandates. Lawmakers debated wetlands regulation, water quality, building energy codes, and the fallout from recent executive and legislative actions, reflecting continued tension between environmental protection, housing development, rural land use, and regulatory predictability.
H.718 – Building Energy Code Reform
H.718 generated significant debate over Vermont’s building energy code framework and whether the state should adopt a statewide residential building code. While the bill proposed changes to code governance and compliance efforts, many builders, architects, and code officials argued it failed to address the underlying challenge that Vermont lacks a basic residential code and meaningful enforcement framework. As a result, many industry stakeholders viewed the bill as an incremental or “half-measure” approach to a larger structural problem. The bill ultimately did not pass before adjournment, leaving these issues unresolved.
Executive Order 06-25, Building Energy Codes, and Wetlands Implementation
Governor Phil Scott’s September 2025 Executive Order 06-25 remained a major focus throughout the session. The order delayed implementation of updated RBES and CBES standards through December 31, 2027 and modified wetlands implementation by reducing certain mapped buffer requirements from 50 feet to 25 feet and allowing greater reliance on mapped wetlands in designated areas. The updated energy code rules ultimately moved forward after LCAR declined to comment, while the proposed wetlands rule received a formal LCAR objection over concerns related to mapping, permitting impacts, implementation timelines, and regulatory clarity. Although LCAR objected to the wetlands rule, the Administration retains authority to proceed, leaving the issue unresolved heading into 2027.
S.223 – Water Quality and Wetlands Policy
S.223 addressed a variety of water quality and regulatory issues, including creation of a Water Quality, Lake Classification, and Antidegradation Study Group. The bill was also the vehicle for extensive debate over wetlands regulation and permitting, including proposals to rely more heavily on state wetland mapping rather than site-specific delineations for certain projects. While those concepts received significant discussion, the final legislation largely deferred major policy changes for future review, leaving many of the broader wetlands implementation debates to continue through rulemaking and future legislative action.
