East Montpelier Democrat Tony Klein says it's time to bring back an idea from the past. Klein, who chairs the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee, said Vermont needs to consider a statewide land use plan that could spell out where development could go. He pointed out that when the Legislature passed the Act 250 development review law in 1970 it also considered the land use plan.

The Vermont Environmental Court has clarified who gets to intervene in Act 250 permit reviews. The court ruling reverses a district environmental commission decision that barred environmental groups from intervening in a case involving a Wal-Mart proposed for Bennington.

Legislation aimed at streamlining the state's environmental permit process has stalled in the House and is likely dead for the year. The bill was a priority of Governor Peter Shumlin, who has called for eliminating some redundancy in Act 250 appeals.

Governor Peter Shumlin says his administration has relaxed environmental rules to allow work crews to quickly rebuild roads destroyed by floodwaters.

An Environmental Court judge has settled six years of legal controversy and ruled against a quarry proposed for central Vermont.

VPR's Jane Lindholm talks with the executive director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council, and land use lawyers about whether Act 250 can still tackle 21st century problems and concerns.

Changes to Vermont's development law, Act 250, have raised concerns about protecting the state's historically important sites.

Changes to Vermont's development law, Act 250, have raised concerns about protecting the state's historically important sites.

The Douglas Administration wants to change the rules for developers whose projects could affect historic or archeological sites. Officials say the rules are confusing and potentially costly to business. But critics say the proposal will weaken protections for the state's historic heritage.