MONTPELIER (Vt.) – A bill aimed at ensuring fair public policy for all citizens is nearing the Statehouse’s finish line.
Vermont is home of approximately 7,000 mobile houses, many of which have decades-old drinking and wastewater systems. These homes are almost always built on private property.
They are largely excluded from the public funding conversation because they are private organizations, said Nate Lantieri of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunitys Mobile Home Program.
Water infrastructure is just one problem. Lantieri also says extreme weather poses problems. He says that while only seven percent of the state’s population lives in mobile homes they were responsible for 40% of flood victims during Tropical Storm Irene.
Lantieri stated, “The longer we leave this to the last, the closer we are to an unsustainable solutions were looking for these communities.”
Lawmakers are seeking a way to include more mobile homeowners at the decision-making tables. A bill would create Vermont’s first environmental policy and give low-income Vermonters a seat in the decision-making process. Supporters argue that Vermont is one in a handful of states that do not have an environment justice policy.
You are not only concerned with who is experiencing health disparities, or a lack thereof in environmental benefit, but also how we get that infrastructure into those communities, stated Sen. Kesharam Hinsdale (D-Chittenden County).
The bill requires state agencies to see state policies through the lense of equity. It defines what constitutes an environmental justice population. The bill also creates an advisory committee of 11 members made up of members from marginalized and low income groups, including people in isolation, migrant farmers, and new Americans.
Rep. Kari Donlan, D-Waitsfield, stated that this is as much an economic development and rehabilitation bill as it was a public health bill.
It would also create an online tool for mapping the effects of traffic, pollution, severe weather, and other environmental burdens on marginalized communities. It will also track progress in housing, education, and health, according to lawmakers. Dolan stated that it will allow us to compare our dollars and see where they are going, what purpose they serve, and what outcome we get.
The bill allocates $700,000. This will pay for the mapping tool, as well as fund new positions. However some estimates suggest that it will cost more than $3 million to properly fund the effort.
Advocates hope to have the bill passed by Friday with the end of the session.
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