Gov. Peter Shumlin issued his first ever veto on Thursday, striking down S.77, a bill that would have required testing of wells when a piece of property is sold and when it's first drilled.
It wasn't very controversial in the Legislature, but apparently the governor didn't think too highly of it.
Here's the message he sent to the Senate.
“We have a responsibility with every bill that we pass to ensure that we are not imposing costs on hardworking Vermonters in rural areas. Every mandate from Montpelier must be balanced with this reality. Vermonters, on average, are earning what they made ten years ago. The vast majority of Vermont’s well water is clean and safe. The General Assembly’s desire to promote safe drinking water is one we all share, but I don’t believe the government should mandate the testing of every single new well, with the cost and burden on individual private property owners that this bill would impose.”