Vermont's wetlands are not just ecological assets. They are flood barriers. In a state that has absorbed catastrophic flood damage in recent years, the buffer zones around those wetlands are part of what keeps communities safe.

Gov. Phil Scott is cutting them in half.

The Scott administration's latest rule change, which takes effect August 8, reduces the buffer zone that developers must maintain around wetlands in Vermont's villages and downtowns from 50 feet to 25 feet. Lawmakers have voted against this change twice, rejecting it in a 5-3 party-line vote in both May and July 2026. The administration is moving forward anyway.

"A wetland is a wetland, regardless of where it is," said Sen. Seth Bongartz, a Democrat from Manchester, at a July 23 hearing. He noted that Vermont state law requires wetland regulation to be guided by science. "I haven't heard any evidence that reducing that buffer from 50 to 25 is actually somehow going to enhance the value of the wetland."

The administration argues the change will unlock roughly 2,000 acres of developable land in designated growth areas, reducing sprawl and supporting housing production. Some environmental groups agreed to the compromise and will not challenge it in court. But two rounds of legislative oversight produced clear rejections. The administration proceeded regardless.

Vermont's Legislature is the appropriate forum for decisions this consequential. Bypassing it on wetland regulation, in a state still reckoning with flood losses, sets a dangerous precedent.

Sign this petition to demand that Governor Scott rescind the wetland buffer rule, respect the Legislature's authority, and pursue housing solutions that do not compromise Vermont's flood defenses.