Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Finalized results confirm that ISO New England’s annual capacity auction concluded at a lower price than the previous auction and with sufficient resources, including three new power plants, to meet demand in 2019–2020. ISO New England Inc. filed the finalized results today with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The 10th Forward Capacity Market (FCM) auction (FCA #10), which was conducted on February 8, procured 35,567 megawatts (MW) of capacity to meet the 34,151 MW Installed Capacity Requirement (ICR) for 2019–2020. The region can meet system-wide demand by acquiring more or less than the ICR, depending on the reliability requirements and price. In all, 40,131 MW of resources, including 6,700 MW of new resources, qualified in advance to compete in the auction.

Vermont Business Magazine Peter Drescher, Education Technology Coordinator for the Vermont Agency of Education, today announced the launch of a new statewide #GoOpen initiative, joining the inaugural group of states across the country committing to support school districts and educators transitioning to the use of high-quality, openly-licensed educational resources in their schools. Vermont will be recognized for its leadership in this arena by the US Department of Education at the #GoOpen Exchange, a gathering of state and district leaders, innovative education technology platform providers, and non-profit organizations working together to share knowledge and experiences to help educators transition to using openly licensed educational resources.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin today provided an update on the situation in North Bennington. Test results received last Thursday indicated that while there is no contamination of the public water source, five private wells in North Bennington showed varying levels of a potentially harmful chemical called PFOA. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) plans to test an additional 80 to 100 private wells located in a 1.5 mile radius surrounding the former Chem Fab plant in North Bennington. Officials are still working to determine the exact cause of the contamination, but concerns in North Bennington were sparked by reports of contamination caused by a similar plant in Hoosick Falls N.Y. The issue will be discussed at Town Meeting tonight (February 29).

Vermont DEC officials will travel door to door to collect testing samples in the coming days. The test to determine PFOA levels takes approximately two weeks.

by Tom Torti It’s not often that you hear the Chamber of Commerce supporting an increase in taxes, or an increase in fees. It’s kind of genetically against our DNA. However, when research shows that even the smallest contribution to a child’s savings account dramatically increases their chance of attending college, raising Vermont’s mutual fund registration fee to fund such an initiative just makes sense. The current registration fee Vermont charges to mutual funds selling products in this state are the lowest in New England. By doubling this fee to $1,200 dollars, an amount still half of what Massachusetts charges, Vermont would raise an estimated $13 million per year. We should also understand that any increase in fees is shared by anyone who owns these funds regardless of where they live so increases are much less likely borne by Vermonters

Vermont Business Magazine Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sandersand  Republican Donald Trump should sweep Super Tuesday primaries, according to the Presidential Promo Polls on bumper sticker preferences released today by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI). With an eye on Tuesday's primaries and how promotional products are used in elections, ASI asked residents in primary states this question: If you received a bumper sticker from each of the presidential candidates, which one would you be most willing to put on your car?

by Joshua Brown University of Vermont Undergraduate engineering students at the University of Vermont have teamed up with a professor to find a technique that could help performance skiers select the ultimate pair of skis. It all started last fall, when UVM senior Elli Terwiel was in professor Eric Hernandez’s course, Advanced Structural Analysis, learning about how beams bend under a load—“and I started to think about my skis,” she says. She wasn’t daydreaming. Instead, she was seeing a connection between her two passions. Terwiel is majoring in civil engineering—and she’s a World Cup skier who raced in the 2014 Olympics for Canada and for UVM’s ski team for several years.

Vermont Business Magazine Merchants Bank partnered with WARMTH again this year to help prevent low-income Vermonters across the state from going without heat this winter.  Merchants Bank matched dollar-for-dollar donations raised for WARMTH throughout the month of December.  Coupled with the Merchants Bank match of $40,000, the Vermont community raised $107,087. The $40,000 challenge grant was distributed by CVOEO for use by all five community action agencies statewide for the emergency-based WARMTH program to help offset home heating bills. 

“When people see that their donation is matched they tend to LEAP on board! Thank you, it truly makes a difference”, said Joan White, Development Director at CVOEO.

by Mike Smith Last week Vermont Public Radio released a poll conducted by the Castleton Polling Institute. If you read only the news headlines about this poll, you might conclude that the race for governor is all but settled with Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott winning handedly. After all, 66 percent of those respondents who said they had already made up their mind about who they would vote for in the governor’s race indicate they would support Scott. His nearest competitor is Democrat Matt Dunne, who trails by a massive margin at just 15 percent. There’s no doubt at this stage of the race this news is encouraging for Scott. However, it’s a long way to November 8^th and as a Republican in a deep blue state, with a senior US Senator up for reelection and a junior US Senator rocking the political establishment, Scott’s path to being Vermont’s next governor will be filled with challenges. To win, he must navigate this path with precision and resolve. 

Vermont Business Magazine The People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, has announced that it has awarded $5,000 to the Intervale Center; $7,500 to Vermont Works for Women in Winooski; $10,000 to Spectrum Youth and Family Services; and $10,000 to the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) of Burlington.. 

The Intervale Center, which manages over 350 acres of farm fields, wetlands, trails and wildlife corridors, is home to 12 independent farm enterprises employing around 60 people and grossing more than $1.2 million in sales of fresh foods each year. Through the Center’s agricultural development programs, the staff work with 80 farms throughout Vermont each year, strengthening their economic, social and environmental impact.

Vermont Business Magazine The Made in Vermont Marketplace is an extraordinary opportunity for Vermont companies to showcase their Made in Vermont products to an audience of thousands of prospective customers all in one weekend. The trade show is dedicated to showcasing the great variety of Vermont made products, from furniture, specialty foods, clothing, wines and so much more! Only Vermont companies that made their products in Vermont will be allowed to exhibit. 

Vermont Business Magazine Fill up your car using 21st century technology at the new Waterbury Municipal Center, where Green Mountain Power and Waterbury have partnered to bring residents and visitors a new electric vehicle charging station. The new Municipal Center, located at 28 North Main Street, includes municipal offices combined with a new expanded Library and History Center, all with state-of-the-art heating, cooling and energy efficiency. Significant funding came through a bond vote from the Waterbury voters, several Vermont Community Development Programs, and private donations to the Friends of the Waterbury Library and Historical Society. Waterbury received funding for the charging station from the Downtown Development Board through a partnership with the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Agency of Natural Resources.

Vermont Business Magazine The Stern Center for Language and Learning recently received a grant from the Windham Foundation to bring their BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LITERACY© (Building Blocks) training to the southern Windsor and northern Windham counties of Vermont. The $6,000 grant will be used to provide professional learning and materials to early care and education providers and pre-K teachers to foster early literacy skills in children. This training will be delivered through a 6-hour live training on Saturday, April 30 in the Springfield area and a follow-up 12-hour online course.