[harry chickpea]

We're from the government, we're here to help... This recent story of a composting facility near Burlington may show us where the entire country is heading if we allow government more control.

A waste-to-compost facility was constructed near that city back in 1987, to try to turn some of the area's landfill-bound waste into compost. Recently, that project has been hit with a classic case of regulatory excess. First there was a question of possible pollution, then a question of whether the business was agricultural, then whether it was illegally located on a flood plain, then whether studies had been done that (I'm not making this up) no indian arrowheads had been disturbed.

What makes this an outstanding case of irony is that the eco-nuts who promoted the anti-business laws in Vermont are now getting a double dose of their own laws.

The anti-development crowd fought for years to keep a Lowes store from locating in the spot of an abandoned old strip mall, and gloated with the announcements of every fresh roadblock they threw in front of the business. Now, they have regulated the area so tightly that their food waste and grass clippings can no longer be turned into earth-friendly yuppie compost, but have to be entombed in the rubber-lined sanitary landfills that they hate so much. If it wasn't so sad, it would be funny.
Intervale Compost to close

Published: Thursday, February 28, 2008
By Candace Page
Free Press Staff Writer

Beset on all sides by regulatory challenges, the beleaguered Intervale Center announced Wednesday night it will close its composting operation sometime in the coming months.

The facility cannot afford to answer pollution concerns and obtain recently mandated permits, Perkins said.

Full story here:

Burlington Free Press.com | Top Stories

Vermont used to be an independent republic, and only joined the union with the caveat that it could secede if it felt the need. How far it has fallen.