Shaking in the Champlain Valley

Abstract

Where red clovers bloom, sugar maples gild pancakes, and Morgan horses symbolize their homeland’s hardy beauty, there’s a saying about nearly impossible things that goes: “As likely as oil in Vermont.” Gas could be a differerent story. The discovery of sizable deposits in eastern Quebec in the late 1950s stirred some interest in pastoral Vermont where it was surmised similar resources might exist. Five wells were drilled, the last one in Grand Isle in 1968, but none gave evidence of hydrocarbons. Although interest in the area dimmed, not everyone lost heart.