In response to requests from the public, the Environmental Protection Agency has extended the deadline for public comments on its new pollution reduction targets for Lake Champlain.
In an announcement Wednesday, the agency said that “[i]n response to requests for additional time, EPA is extending the comment period for 30 additional days, until October 15, 2015.”
The agency released the plan August 14, initially opening a 30-day comment period.
Known as the Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL, the plan sets targets for how much phosphorus Lake Champlain can sustain across 12 lake segments. Each lake segment has its own pollution targets, and the state plans to achieve reductions required to meet those targets by reducing pollution from virtually every source.
Some experts have raised doubts about whether some of the reduction goals are possible, but state officials insist work has to start now in order for any reductions to be made.
More information about the plan and the comment process is available on the EPA website.
