Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Before I begin, I want to acknowledge that this morning, countless Floridians woke up to a world turned upside down in the wake of Hurricane Ian. And hundreds of thousands in Puerto Rico remain without power more than 10 days after the storm that ravaged the island. Vermonters will stand by your side as you rebuild your communities and your lives, and so will this chamber. The continuing resolution we are about to consider contains $18.8 billion for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund, which would bring available resources in the fund to approximately $35 billion to respond to these and other disasters.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department (BED) this week issued a request for proposals (RFP) for renewable energy resources to ensure that the municipal utility is able to continue to source 100 percent of the City’s power from renewable energy generation in pursuit of Burlington’s Net Zero Energy by 2030 goal. BED will continue to go above and beyond the State of Vermont renewable energy requirements as it invites proposals for renewable energy resources to replace contracts that will be expiring in the next two to five years.

Vermont Business Magazine When Patti O’Brien organized the first Women’s Health and Cancer Conference, in the fall of 1997, the University of Vermont Cancer Center event was among the only meetings in the world devoted to the information needs of patients, who were often kept in the dark about their treatment. In 2022, the 25^th anniversary of the conference, patient information about a myriad of treatment options is everywhere but, because of that pervasiveness, the need for the conference is greater than ever. The free, 2022 conference will be held on September 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. both in-person, at the Dudley H. Davis Student Center on the UVM campus, and online via Zoom. The conference is supported by the Victoria Buffum Fund and Eleanor B. Daniels Fund at the UVM Cancer Center. Continuing medical education credits are offered free of charge.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont continue to fall and now are below the national average. Prices today in Vermont stand at an average of $3.66 per gallon, down 9 cents in the last week, down 43 cents in the last month and are 56 cents above last year's average price. Nationally, the average is $3.71/g, which is down 6 cents from last week, down 11 cents from last month and 47 cents higher than last year.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program, a program of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, announces its 2022 grant awards to working lands entrepreneurs, totaling $797,108 to support businesses improvements and improve water quality. This year, 19 farmers were awarded a total of $601,368 to invest in on-farm capital improvements that enhance water quality. Additionally, $195,740 in grant awards will support 20 farm and forest businesses with completing projects that advance business development and viability. Grantees include organic and conventional farms, cow dairies, a goat dairy, and livestock operations. These projects will improve manure management and soil health, reduce runoff, and ultimately support the long-term success of farm enterprises.

Vermont Business Magazine Artist Michele Brody will present her solo exhibition “Papers of Place,” which will be displayed in the McCarthy Arts Center at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester starting Thursday, September 29. Brody, a mixed-media environmental artist from New York, used plants gathered from the College’s natural area in producing the pieces that will be shown. The art will be hung on the glass of the gallery using paper she made from the plants. She has also been working with Saint Michael’s students on paper-making, and students helped install her work in McCarthy.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)—the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere—and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) released the following statements after their resolution supporting democratic institutions in Brazil was passed by the Senate Wednesday night. The move comes amid Brazilians’ fears that the results of next week’s general election could be undermined by President Bolsonaro, who is down in the polls and has told his base to “go to war” if the election is “stolen.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s annual spiny softshell turtle beach cleanup day is Saturday, October 15, and the department is looking for volunteers to help.

Participants are asked to arrive at North Hero State Park at 10:00 a.m. After finishing at North Hero, the group will carpool to another site in Swanton.

Volunteers will pull up vegetation on nesting beaches to prepare turtle nesting sites for next year. They may also find a few hatchlings that occasionally remain in nests underground this late in the year. In addition to threatened spiny softshell turtles, these nest sites are also used by map turtles, painted turtles, and snapping turtles.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Lakes and Ponds Program has released new guidance to help property owners protect and restore lakeshore properties. The Shoreland Best Management Practices guidance (bit.ly/Shoreland-BMP) is comprised of multiple Best Management Practice documents. Each document highlights different shoreland management activities to improve water quality and the health of lakeshore habitat. Examples of activities include planting native trees and shrubs, installing rain gardens to absorb runoff, improving driveways and pathways, and creating no-mow zones.

Vermont Business Magazine The Nature Conservancy in Vermont and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation are pleased to announce the addition of the 164-acre Alburgh Bluffs parcel to Alburgh Dunes State Park, expanding the park to 789-acres. The Nature Conservancy acquired the Alburgh Bluffs property in January 2021 and has been working with the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to add the parcel to the State Park in the time since. The waterfront property is significant for both people and nature. It is a biodiversity gem with sixteen natural communities and twenty-five rare or endangered species. As part of Alburgh Dunes State Park, the parcel expands public access to Lake Champlain, while also protecting the lake’s water quality.

by John McClaughry Relax, Vermonters. Nothing will prevent you from buying and registering your new gasoline or diesel-powered sedan, SUV or light duty truck – until 2035. Then if the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Vermont Natural Resources Council. Conservation Law Foundation and their allies have their way, if you want to buy a new car or truck, you’ll have only the one choice of buying a California-compliant electric car. In 1977 California, concerned about the persistent smog in the Los Angeles bowl caused by nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and other harmful tailpipe emissions, obtained a Clean Air Act waiver. It allowed the state to adopt more stringent emission rules than those required of the rest of the country. Vermont signed on as a “California state” in 1996.