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Vermont Business Magazine Every year, Vermonters throw away 200 million pounds of food and yard debris that could have been composted instead. This unnecessary waste adds up at landfills, contributing to massive greenhouse gas emissions. At the 2019 Vermont Organics Recycling Summit on April 11 in Randolph, leaders and learners from across the state will come together to discuss creative ways to keep food scraps and other organics out of the trash and to transform them into valuable products. The summit, organized by the Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, is open to all.

Vermont Business Magazine After a decade operating some of its summer Language Schools at Mills College in Oakland, CA, Middlebury will consolidate all 11 of its schools in Vermont beginning with the 2020 summer session. The change was made possible by a new agreement between Middlebury and Bennington College, which will host several of the Middlebury Language Schools starting next year. Middlebury President Laurie Patton and Bennington College President Mariko Silver announced the agreement today on the Bennington campus.

Vermont Business Magazine Arthur Mathisen, President and CEO of Copley Health Systems, Inc has announced plans to leave Copley, after three years of service with the hospital. Mathisen will be pursuing a new career as the President of Memorial Hospital in North Conway, New Hampshire, a member of MaineHealth. Like Copley, Memorial is a Critical Access Hospital, and Mathisen should be well prepared to handle the challenges of delivering health care in a rural New England community.

by Matt Cota, VFDA Executive Director At 5:30 pm on Tuesday evening, the Vermont House voted in favor of doubling the current Fuel Tax on heating oil, kerosene, dyed diesel and propane. The vote on the legislation (H.439) was approved 81 to 60. How did my lawmaker vote? So what comes next? A decision on exemptions. Non-profits such as hospitals and churches are currently exempt from the tax, as are state and municipal governments. A separate piece of legislation in the House (H.541) would eliminate all exemptions from the Fuel Tax.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House of Representatives gave preliminary approval today to H.531, the Child Care Bill ($10.5 million) and H.513, the Broadband Expansion Bill ($1.5 million). The Child Care Bill received preliminary approval Tuesday on a voice vote.

by Samantha Sheehan, Communications Manager for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility The creation of a universal Paid Family Medical Leave system in Vermont would give security to workers who require time off to recover from an illness or welcome a new child, and to businesses who rely on qualified and experienced employees. This is a common-sense business-friendly solution that will strengthen our local labor force.

Universal Paid Family Medical Leave helps employers by providing predictable employment conditions, and is a critical tool for recruiting and retaining high-quality workers of all ages. In states that have passed Universal Paid Family Medical Leave, studies show a decrease in both employee turnover rates and average per worker payroll expenses.

Vermont Business Magazine Fermentation, cheese, bread, mushrooms and more are on the menu at the School of the New American Farmstead (SNAF) at Sterling College this summer. The Summer 2019 season kicks off with two natural cheesemaking courses, Raw Milk Cheeses and Specialty Goat & Sheep Cheeses, with the world-renowned cheesemaker David Asher. In June, New York Times bestseller author Sandor Katz returns for his third season to teach his trademark course, The Art of Fermentation. Tradd Cotter will also return to teach his ever-popular course in Organic Mushroom Farming & Mycoremediation.

As part of a partnership with the Cellars at Jasper Hill, the School will also offer a unique intensive training in Affinage: The Art of Ripening Cheese with Eric Meredith. For those interested in stretching their taste buds, the School of the New American Farmstead will also offer two courses at Brunnenburg Castle & Agricultural Museum in the Italian Alps.

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Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today filed a lawsuit against two distributors of opiates, Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corporation. The lawsuit, filed in Chittenden Superior Court in Burlington, alleges that defendants committed unfair and deceptive acts in violation of the Vermont Consumer Protection Act and alleges claims of negligence and public nuisance. The state also contends that these distributors fraudulently concealed their unlawful conduct.

“Cardinal and McKesson sold out their duty to the public in exchange their bottom line,” Attorney General Donovan said. “They ignored the fact that opioid sales in Vermont were far out-pacing legitimate need. These distributors were obligated to identify and report this problem. Instead, they just kept on selling.”

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott joined Governors Steve Bullock (Montana), David Ige (Hawaii) and Phil Murphy (New Jersey) in a joint letter dated Monday urging Congress to restore protections afforded by net neutrality at the federal level. Each of the four signatories have previously enacted Executive Orders to preserve net neutrality within their states.

The letter (see full letter below) says in part:

Vermont Business Magazine At a meeting on March 15, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board awarded $731,500 in VHCB funding, $127,500 in federal funds, and $1,130,000 in Housing Revenue Bond funds for the development of 24 new homes in St Albans, predevelopment work on a neighborhood revitalization project in Windsor, and a pilot program to support the development of accessory apartments in Burlington. Additionally, 250 acres of farmland will be conserved in Orange and Chittenden Counties, and 287 acres of forestland in Dummerston with public access for hunting and walking will be conserved.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently released its 2018 Enforcement Report, which details how DEC responded to citizen complaints and summarizes how the Department enforced environmental regulations to protect Vermonters and the lands and waters of the state. “Last year, DEC received over 2,700 complaints of alleged environmental harm. We investigate every complaint our division receives,” said Kim Greenwood, Director of the Environmental Compliance Division for DEC. “Citizens reporting alleged violations to DEC are a critical source of information and we take those complaints seriously. Whether you’re sure there’s a violation or only suspect it, call us and one of our Environmental Enforcement Officers will investigate it.”