Les hommes d'affaires veulent une autre étude inutile

Cinq groupes d'affaires du Vermont veulent nettoyer le Lac Champlain et l'alliance porte le nom de Business Alliance for a Clean Lake, et leur premier geste sera de payer pour une étude qui confirmera que la propreté du Lac Champlain est bonne pour les affaires. Depuis 2003, le Vermont a dépensé $100 millions d'argent fédéral et de l'état pour ralentir le ruissellement de nutriments des fermes, des banlieux et des villes.

Parmis les priorités de l'alliance est le monitorage du respect des lois sur la qualité de l'eau de la part des agriculteurs et des installations pour contenir les eaux pluviales. L'heure est grave quand les hommes d'affaires se mêlent d'environnement, mais de grâce, assez d'études!
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"Vermont business alliance pushes for a clean Lake Champlain

Five business groups announced creation Monday of the Business Alliance for a Clean Lake, saying excellent water quality in Lake Champlain is critical to Vermont's economic health."Lake Champlain is the most significant economic driver we have in this region," said Tom Torti, president of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce. "We sell the beauty and cleanliness of the lake." Toxic algae blooms fed by fertilizer runoff from the land have plagued the lake's northern bays in recent summers, leading some summer visitors to rethink their plans.

Since 2003, Vermont has spent more than $100 million in federal and state money to stem nutrient runoff from farms, suburbia and urban areas.The business group lists its first priority as raising money for a $150,000 study that would update and quantify the lake's importance to the Vermont economy. Torti said businesses want state government to pledge a share of the cost before they raise the rest of the money privately.

Afterward, some lawmakers in the crush of politicians at the event said they don't need an economic study to understand the need to improve water quality. "Most legislators accept that the lake is an incredible resource economically and environmentally," said Sen. Phil Scott, R-Washington, a candidate for lieutenant governor. "We're not the ones that need convincing. Maybe it's the general public."

The business coalition outlined these additional priorities:
• Creation of a comprehensive schedule and budget for meeting cleanup goals.
• Monitoring farmers' compliance with water quality regulations.
• Addressing stormwater runoff by retrofitting existing developments and creating stormwater utilities.

Torti and others made an appeal to individual landowners and business owners to act voluntarily to manage their properties in ways that stem polluted runoff. "The job is our collective responsibility. It's not just about money and studies, it's about people washing their cars on their lawns and picking up dog waste," Torti said."

Excerpts of article written by Candace Page published in burlingtonfreepress.com here: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100119/NEWS01/1190301/Vermont-business-alliance-pushes-for-a-clean-Lake-Champlain