| 1 | 1 | | BILL AS INTRODUCED H.422 |
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| 2 | 2 | | 2025 Page 1 of 4 |
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| 5 | 5 | | VT LEG #381096 v.1 |
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| 6 | 6 | | H.422 1 |
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| 7 | 7 | | Introduced by Representatives Masland of Thetford, Branagan of Georgia, 2 |
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| 8 | 8 | | Holcombe of Norwich, and Olson of Starksboro 3 |
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| 9 | 9 | | Referred to Committee on 4 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Date: 5 |
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| 11 | 11 | | Subject: Conservation and development; solid waste; landfills; groundwater 6 |
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| 12 | 12 | | monitoring; laboratory testing 7 |
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| 13 | 13 | | Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require the 8 |
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| 14 | 14 | | Secretary of Natural Resources to require the testing of groundwater samples at 9 |
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| 15 | 15 | | the State Agricultural and Environmental Laboratory (State Laboratory) when 10 |
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| 16 | 16 | | sampling occurs at a site where hazardous materials were released. Testing at 11 |
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| 17 | 17 | | the State Laboratory would not be required if the State Laboratory lacks the 12 |
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| 18 | 18 | | ability to conduct the necessary testing, or, when approved by the Secretary of 13 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Natural Resources, testing at a private laboratory would result in significant 14 |
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| 20 | 20 | | costs savings to the State or the owner of the contaminated site. 15 |
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| 21 | 21 | | An act relating to testing of groundwater samples from contaminated sites at 16 |
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| 22 | 22 | | the State Agricultural and Environmental Laboratory 17 |
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| 23 | 23 | | It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 18 |
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| 24 | 24 | | Sec. 1. FINDINGS 19 |
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| 25 | 25 | | The General Assembly finds that: 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.422 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 2025 Page 2 of 4 |
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| 28 | 28 | | |
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| 29 | 29 | | VT LEG #381096 v.1 |
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| 30 | 30 | | (1) groundwater testing in proximity to sites contaminated by hazardous 1 |
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| 31 | 31 | | materials is critically important to protecting public and private water supply 2 |
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| 32 | 32 | | sources; 3 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) high-quality laboratory analysis of water samples from groundwater 4 |
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| 34 | 34 | | monitoring wells at contaminated sites must be a mandatory component of 5 |
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| 35 | 35 | | oversight of the monitoring of contaminated sites; 6 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) at contaminated sites where a post closure fund is available to pay 7 |
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| 37 | 37 | | for groundwater monitoring, it is in the best interests of the State and the entity 8 |
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| 38 | 38 | | responsible for the site to keep the cost of groundwater testing low so as to 9 |
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| 39 | 39 | | ensure that the cost of groundwater monitoring will not exhaust funding 10 |
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| 40 | 40 | | available from the post closure fund; 11 |
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| 41 | 41 | | (4) using the State Agricultural and Environmental Laboratory (State 12 |
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| 42 | 42 | | Laboratory) to conduct the testing of groundwater samples from contaminated 13 |
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| 43 | 43 | | sites assists in keeping monitoring costs lower than if testing of samples 14 |
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| 44 | 44 | | occurred at private laboratories; 15 |
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| 45 | 45 | | (5) the State and all water users that might be affected by contamination 16 |
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| 46 | 46 | | in their drinking water supply will benefit from timely, affordable, and 17 |
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| 47 | 47 | | accurate groundwater testing data; and 18 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (6) the State, through the Agency of Natural Resources, should require 19 |
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| 49 | 49 | | and facilitate the testing of groundwater samples from contaminated sites at the 20 |
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| 50 | 50 | | State Laboratory in order to allow for the lowest cost possible for testing. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.422 |
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| 51 | 51 | | 2025 Page 3 of 4 |
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| 54 | 54 | | VT LEG #381096 v.1 |
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| 55 | 55 | | Sec. 2. 10 V.S.A. § 6608 is amended to read: 1 |
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| 56 | 56 | | § 6608. RECORDS; REPORTS; MONITORING 2 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (a) For purposes of implementation of this chapter, the Secretary shall 3 |
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| 58 | 58 | | adopt, and revise as appropriate, rules that prescribe: 4 |
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| 59 | 59 | | (1) the establishment and maintenance of such records; 5 |
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| 60 | 60 | | (2) the making of such reports; 6 |
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| 61 | 61 | | (3) the taking of such samples, and the performing of such tests or 7 |
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| 62 | 62 | | analyses; 8 |
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| 63 | 63 | | (4) the installing, calibrating, using, and maintaining of such monitoring 9 |
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| 64 | 64 | | equipment or methods; and 10 |
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| 65 | 65 | | (5) the providing of such other information as may be necessary. 11 |
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| 66 | 66 | | * * * 12 |
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| 67 | 67 | | (g) When the Secretary under this chapter requires groundwater monitoring 13 |
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| 68 | 68 | | of a site where hazardous materials were released, the Secretary shall require 14 |
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| 69 | 69 | | that the testing of groundwater samples from the contaminated site occurs at 15 |
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| 70 | 70 | | the State Agricultural and Environmental Laboratory unless: 16 |
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| 71 | 71 | | (1) the State Agricultural and Environmental Laboratory lacks the 17 |
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| 72 | 72 | | ability to conduct the necessary testing; or 18 |
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| 73 | 73 | | (2) testing at a private laboratory would result in significant costs 19 |
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| 74 | 74 | | savings to the State or the owner of the contaminated site, as approved by the 20 |
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| 75 | 75 | | Secretary. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.422 |
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| 76 | 76 | | 2025 Page 4 of 4 |
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| 79 | 79 | | VT LEG #381096 v.1 |
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| 80 | 80 | | Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 1 |
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| 81 | 81 | | This act shall take effect on passage. 2 |
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