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VERMONT ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMPIONS RECEIVE EPA MERIT AWARDS

Release Date: 04/22/1999
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Community Affairs Office, (617) 918-1064

BOSTON - Five individuals and organizations from Vermont were honored today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their contributions to the environment.

The Vermont winners were among 39 recipients from around New England that received Environmental Merit Awards at an Earth Day ceremony at Faneuil Hall. The awards, given out since 1970, are given to individuals and groups who have shown particular ingenuity and commitment in their efforts to preserve the environment. This year's competition drew more than 80 applications.

"Today we celebrate the efforts of a group of people who have gone above and beyond to make the air, water and land cleaner and safer for years to come," said John P. DeVillars, EPA's New England administrator. "All those who received awards, as well as those who were nominated, stand as models for how each of us can make a difference in protecting our environment."

The Vermont winners are:

A Winning State and Industry Partnership: Vermont Underground Storage Tank Program and the Vermont Petroleum Association

The Vermont Underground Storage Tank Program at Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and the Vermont Petroleum Association have demonstrated through their recent success what can happen when government regulators and private industry work together as partners, rather than fight as adversaries. The partnership ensured that the underground storage tank regulators understood the needs of the petroleum industry so that regulations could be implemented in a way that maximized environmental benefits while minimizing economic burdens to the industry, making this program a win-win for everyone. Through workshops, outreach and educational materials, underground storage tank owners were made aware of the new regulations going into affect and could learn how to update their underground storage tanks to meet the new standards.

Darby Bradley and the Vermont Land Trust
Darby Bradley has devoted his life to the issue of land conservation. He laid the legal work to establish the organization now known as the Vermont Land Trust, joining it as Counsel in 1981, and in 1990, assuming the role of President of the Trust. Darby has served on the Vermont Forest Resource Advisory Council, the Governor's Commission on the Future of Vermont, the board of the Vermont Council on Rural Development, the Trustees of the National Land Trust Alliance, and the Advisory Committee of the Vermont Forum on Sprawl. He was named the 1998 Vermonter of the Year by the Burlington Free Press. In 1998, the Vermont Land Trust conserved 52,000 acres in 80 projects, more than any previous year. In its history, over 184,000 acres of Vermont have been conserved by the TrustB3.6% of Vermont's privately owned open space. They are currently working with the Conservation Fund to conserve 133,000 acres of former Champion land in northeastern Vermont. Mr. Bradley and the Vermont Land Trust were nominated for an Environmental Merit Award by Governor Howard Dean.

Adair Mulligan, Connecticut River Joint Commissions and Kathy Fallon Lambert, Hydrologist
Ms. Mulligan and Ms. Fallon Lambert are scientists championing a very special ecosystem.

Adair Mulligan is a trained biologist and her scientific background enhances the Commission's ability to make sound decisions about the River and its environment. She is the Communications Director for the Connecticut River Joint Commissions, and in that role she has worked tirelessly to make local residents in New Hampshire and Vermont aware of the value of the Connecticut River, and the positive steps they can take to protect the river. She has given scores of presentations to towns and groups throughout the Valley, co-authored the AConnecticut River Corridor Management Plan@, kept the Federal Partners moving forward on their work to support the plan, and contributed her editing skills to the successful nomination of the Connecticut River as an American Heritage River. . Her efforts continue outside of her professional activities, as she volunteers on the Lyme, NH conservation commission. Most importantly, her love for the river and unfailing energy are drawing more people and organizations into the rewarding dynamic of river stewardship.

Kathy Fallon Lambert is an independent consultant to the Connecticut River Joint Commissions who authored the significant report, Instream Flow Uses, Values & Policies in the Upper Connecticut River Watershed. This bold and groundbreaking flow policy study brought to light a number of inconsistencies in policies and regulations currently in place on the River and identified areas where the states and federal government can work cooperatively to better manage the River's flow. Ms. Fallon Lambert is dedicated to environmental protection rooted in genuine science.