May 13, 2021 BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) The state of Vermont and the Lake Champlain Transportation Company are dropping plans to sink a century-old ferry in Lake Champlain where it could have been used as an underwater scuba diving destination. The Vermont Division of Historic Preservation and the ferry company are now in the process of withdrawing the permit that had been issued for the project. “This decision was made because of the increasing public opposition to the proposal and the additional costs and possible time delay of the project related to the appeal of the Lake Encroachment permit,” Vermont Historic Preservation Officer Laura Trieschmann said in an email.
Adirondack in Port Kent, N.Y. The Lake Champlain Transportation Company s plan to sink one of its retired car ferries in Burlington Bay foundered this week in the face of rising opposition. Despite winning approval from state environmental regulators, the proposal to scuttle the 108-year-old
Adirondack stirred up fears that the sunken vessel could further pollute the lake. The company and state officials on Tuesday withdrew their joint application for a permit that the state Department of Environmental Conservation had already approved in March. Environmental groups had appealed, raising the prospect of a lengthy legal battle over something the company viewed as a philanthropic endeavor.
Vermont and ferry company drop plans to scuttle old ferry
May 12, 2021 GMT
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) The state of Vermont and the Lake Champlain Transportation Company are dropping plans to sink a century-old ferry in Lake Champlain where it could have been used as an underwater scuba diving destination.
The Vermont Division of Historic Preservation and the ferry company are now in the process of withdrawing the permit that had been issued for the project.
“This decision was made because of the increasing public opposition to the proposal and the additional costs and possible time delay of the project related to the appeal of the Lake Encroachment permit,” Vermont Historic Preservation Officer Laura Trieschmann said in an email.
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A plan to sink a decommissioned ferry in Lake Champlain is being challenged by two local advocacy groups.
The Vermont Division of Historic Preservation and the Lake Champlain Transportation Company have received a permit from the state Agency of Natural Resources to sink the 152 foot-long M.V. Adirondack. The intent is to create an artificial reef for scuba divers near the Burlington waterfront.
The Vermont Natural Resources Council and the Lake Champlain Committee are appealing the permit, challenging the Department of Environmental Conservation’s determination that future recreational use by scuba divers meets the public good.
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Wed, 04/28/2021 - 4:20pm tim
Vermont Business Magazine Out of concern for Lake Champlain’s underwater ecosystems, the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) and the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) have appealed a permit issued by the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) to allow the sinking of a 152-foot-long ferry near the Burlington waterfront.
The permit authorizes the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation and the Lake Champlain Transportation Company to sink the MV Adirondack as an artificial reef for recreational use by scuba divers.
In order to grant the permit, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) had to determine that sinking the ferry is in the “public good” of Lake Champlain.