Vermont H 86: An act relating to revenues designated for the Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund

Bill Text

BILL AS INTRODUCED H.86
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VT LEG #379212 v.1
H.86 1
Introduced by Representatives Sheldon of Middlebury, Austin of Colchester, 2
Bartholomew of Hartland, Chapin of East Montpelier, Logan of 3
Burlington, Morris of Springfield, and Satcowitz of Randolph 4
Referred to Committee on 5
Date: 6
Subject: Conservation and development; transportation; water quality; salt 7
application 8
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require the 9
Secretary of Natural Resources to establish the Chloride Contamination 10
Reduction Program to train commercial salt applicators and municipal salt 11
applicators in best management practices to most efficiently apply salt or salt 12
alternatives and to prevent salt or salt alternatives from entering the waters of 13
the State. A certified commercial applicator shall be presumed to be in 14
compliance with water quality laws when applying salt or salt alternatives 15
according to the best management practices established by the Program. 16
An act relating to establishing the Chloride Contamination Reduction 17
Program at the Agency of Natural Resources 18

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VT LEG #379212 v.1
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 1
Sec. 1. 10 V.S.A. chapter 47, subchapter 3A is added to read: 2
Subchapter 3A. Chloride Contamination Reduction Program 3
§ 1351. DEFINITIONS 4
As used in this subchapter: 5
(1) “Apply salt” or “application of salt” means to apply salt or a salt 6
alternative to roadways, parking lots, or sidewalks for the purpose of winter 7
maintenance or for summer dust control. “Apply salt” or “application of salt” 8
does not mean the application of salt to a transportation infrastructure 9
construction project. 10
(2) “Commercial salt applicator” means any individual who for 11
compensation applies or supervises others who apply salt but does not include 12
municipal or State employees. 13
(3) “Municipal salt applicator” means any individual who applies or 14
supervises others who apply salt in the applicator’s capacity as an employee or 15
agent of a town or a municipality but does not include State employees. 16
(4) “Salt” means sodium chloride, calcium chloride, magnesium 17
chloride, or any other substance containing chloride. 18
(5) “Salt alternative” means any substance not containing chloride used 19
for the purpose of deicing or anti-icing. 20
(6) “Secretary” means the Secretary of Natural Resources. 21

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VT LEG #379212 v.1
§ 1352. SALT APPLICATION PROGRAM 1
(a) The Secretary of Natural Resources, after consultation with the 2
Secretary of Transportation, shall establish a program for the education, 3
training, and certification of commercial salt applicators and municipal salt 4
applicators in the State to be implemented by a competitively selected third-5
party vendor. The program shall include best management practices for 6
application of salt or salt alternatives by commercial salt applicators and 7
municipal salt applicators, but the program shall specifically exclude salt 8
applications related to transportation infrastructure construction projects. 9
(b) The education program for commercial salt applicators and municipal 10
salt applicators may be based on current best management practices used by 11
State salt applicators. The best management practices shall: 12
(1) establish measures or techniques to increase efficiency in the 13
application of salt or salt alternatives such that the least amount of salt or salt 14
alternatives are used while maintaining safe conditions for pedestrians and 15
motor vehicles on traveled surfaces; 16
(2) establish standards for when and how salt and salt alternatives are 17
applied in order to prevent salt or salt alternatives from entering waters of the 18
State; 19

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VT LEG #379212 v.1
(3) recommend salt or salt alternatives that are cost-effective and less 1
harmful to water quality while maintaining safe conditions for pedestrians and 2
motor vehicles on traveled surfaces; 3
(4) establish record-keeping requirements for commercial salt 4
applicators and municipal salt applicators, including records describing the 5
type and rate of application of salt or salt alternatives, the dates of use, weather 6
conditions requiring use of salt or salt alternatives, and required submission to 7
the Agency of Natural Resources; 8
(5) establish requirements for application for certification under this 9
subchapter, including frequency of training, manner of training, and the form 10
and manner of application; and 11
(6) establish other requirements deemed necessary by the Secretary to 12
achieve the purposes of the program. 13
(c)(1) A commercial salt applicator or municipal salt applicator may apply 14
annually to the Secretary to be approved as a State-certified salt applicator. 15
(2) A business that employs multiple commercial salt applicato