Governor Jim Douglas has stepped up his criticism of some environmental groups in Vermont. Douglas sought to blame certain groups for a recent finding in a state-sponsored study that the Chittenden County Circumferential Highway would result in no net job growth in the next 20 years.
He criticized the Conservation Law Foundation and others for appeals that prompted a recent Water Resources Board ruling saying that a clean-up plan for four brooks was inadequate. Speaking to the annual meeting of the Vermont Press Association, Douglas said he wants to pursue what he called “a third way” that balances environmental protection with economic growth.