STATEMENT FROM SPEAKER SYMINGTON ON “STATE OF THE LAKE” REPORT

Today’s report is strike three for the Douglas administration on Lake clean-up this year. The independent audit requested by the Legislature, the EPA letter uncovered earlier this month and now this report from the Basin program all confirm that the Douglas strategy is failing. The Basin report was developed in part by staff at the Agency of Natural Resources, so the Governor cannot take a “shoot the messenger” approach as he did reacting to the EPA’s conclusions.

After 5 years of Clean and Clear, Jim Douglas has still not established specific benchmarks to evaluate if the $85 million being spent is getting results, even though the audit and a bill I insisted we pass this year both call for it to be done.

As Governor, I am not going to spend $85 million on a program without knowing what we’re getting for the money. You don’t have to have an MBA and a career in fiscal management, as I do, to realize these systems should be in place. It’s plain common sense, and the Governor needs to explain to Vermonters why he has failed to get it done.