Current News

by Meredith Angwin New England electricity is too dependent upon natural gas-fired power plants. And we are about to pay a lot for that dependence. In recent days, several New England utilities have announced major price rises for electricity. In Massachusetts, National Grid said that its customers can expect a 37 percent rate increase in November. Liberty Utilities in New Hampshire announced that there will be a 50 percent rate increase, and Unitil, which serves Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire, announced a price rise that will add over $40 a month to the average home electricity bill. These companies explained that the rate increases are due to the increasing cost of power on the grid.

It's no secret digital technology is taking over our lives, and face time with friends and loved ones is decreasing because of it. The 2014 Keurig Coffee Connections Survey found that more than one-in-four Americans (26%) use social media, text or email to communicate sensitive information to friends or family when they could have talked to them in person. Even more people (30%) state that without social media, they would have a hard time keeping in touch with friends and loved ones at all. Despite this, Americans still consider being together in person a favorite way to stay in touch. In fact, if given the chance to have a coffee date with anyone, Americans would much rather connect with a long-lost loved one (64%) than the President (7%) or their favorite celebrity (6%).

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) have announced $629,966 in grants to support efficient and renewable energy initiatives in the Green Mountain State. The grants were awarded by the US Department of Energy as part of $5 million in funding to 13 states to advance innovative approaches for local clean energy development through the State Energy Program. The program aims to reduce energy bills for families and businesses, reduce carbon emissions and increase energy security.

Johnson State College has been designated a "Military Friendly School" because of its demonstrated commitment to supporting student veterans on campus and in their careers. JSC is one of approximately 1,600 American colleges and universities that have earned the "Military Friendly(r)" designation from Victory Media, a veteran-owned business that assesses schools on their programs and services for veterans and bestows the designation on qualifying schools at no cost.

JSC also appears in the company's online "Schools Matchmaker," which allows student veterans and prospective military students to review more than 4,000 schools approved for Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition benefits, as well as schools that have earned the Military Friendly(r) Schools designation.

Founded in 2001, Victory Media helps educators and employers attract high-quality veterans as students and employees, comply with regulations and develop leading practices in military programs.

Darn Tough Vermont, American manufacturer of the fastest growing collection of outdoor performance socks, celebrates their 11th year of business. With outstanding year-over-year growth since the company’s inception, the Vermont hosiery manufacture was too darn busy to celebrate the traditional ten-year milestone. “As we maintain momentum in our second decade of business, it’s gratifying to be surrounded by such talented employees – many of which have been with us since the beginning – who have played a significant role in Darn Tough’s success. From day one, we’ve worked hard to make sure Darn Tough is a brand customers can count on. Today, we’re able to see how far we’ve come with continuous growth in our topline year after year. We’ve been so darn busy making the best socks on the market, we haven’t even had time to celebrate the company reaching ten years of successful business,” explains Ric Cabot, President and CEO of Darn Tough Vermont.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) on Wednesday announced Vermont law enforcement agencies and related justice programs received grants totaling more than $2.4 million from the US Department of Justice. The grant awards were included in Fiscal Year 2014 spending and will support local and state efforts to reduce crime and tackle the state’s substance abuse problems. Among the grant awards is funding provided through the Leahy-authored Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program.

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday released a preliminary draft of the rule to implement Act 120, the law requiring the labeling of food produced with genetic engineering (GMO). The draft rule is posted on the Attorney General’s website. In passing Act 120, the Legislature tasked the Attorney General with developing the regulations that will implement the labeling law. These regulations will provide clarity on the scope and reach of the law, including the specific requirements for labeling food. While the Attorney General will later solicit official public comments on the proposed rule, the upcoming public meetings and emailed comments will serve as an important opportunity for the Office to obtain input from producers, retailers, and consumers.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer today released the findings of a performance audit that details the billing practices and state oversight of 11 nonprofit community centers that provide developmental disability and mental health services. These organizations, called the designated agencies, provide a range of services to adults with mental illness, children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbances, and individuals with developmental disabilities. In the audit, Hoffer writes that the state oversight mechanisms "generally did not include a systematic comparison of budgeted to actual services for inclusive rate programs. Without such comparisons, DAIL and DMH cannot ensure that clients are receiving the planned services and that the payments being made reflect the services being performed and are not too much or too little."

Vermont Business Magazine Pam Mackenzie has resigned from the South Burlington City Council, effective today, October 15. Mackenzie has been a lightning rod on several high-profile issues. She ascended to chair of the council as a pro-F-35 member and was able to reverse the council's stance from opposing the F-35 to supporting the jet fighter. The US Air Force subsequently awarded the Vermont Air Guard, located at the Burlington International Airport, the fighter wing. The airport is located in South Burlington. She also was chair of the Vermont PBS board and was involved in closed door meetings that ultimately led to the resignation of then VPT President John King and to a reprimand of the station by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in July 2014, for holding those meetings without proper notice.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont entrepreneurs who came up with an innovative business model which trucks natural gas to industrial customers off the natural gas pipeline system have sold a controlling interest in their Milton, Vermont, firm. Clean Energy Fuels Corp (NASDAQ: CLNE) on Wednesday announced that it has acquired from Tom and Mary Evslin a controlling interest in NG Advantage LLC for $37.6 million. NG Advantage is a pioneer in the natural gas “virtual pipeline” delivery system. The natural gas is compressed (not liquefied) and specially designed trucks deliver it to the customer, where the truck then also serves as the storage facility. Clean energy said in a statement that the NG Advantage investment will primarily be used to fund capital expenditures for expansion and growth in that business.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Advocates pressed for increased state funding for higher education and business incentives, even as the governor is calling for level-funded or reduced spending across state government. Ben Johnson, president of the Vermont chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, said Tuesday that the state has underfunded higher education for 35-years and the state college system is nearing the breaking point. “There’s no more fat to cut,” said Johnson, a librarian at Vermont Technical College.

Betsy Bishop, executive director of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. Courtesy photo

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Vermont expanded its contract with technology firm Optum by $14.3 million last week, further cementing its role as the company that will likely complete the underperforming Vermont Health Connect exchange. The exchange website is currently down for maintenance and to allow the state to address security issues. It lacks an automated tool for users to update their coverage or personal information, and small businesses mandated into the exchange have never been able to use the website.

State officials have said not to expect those functions to be there when the site is brought back online, sometime before open enrollment, which begins Nov. 15.

Optum is helping the state prepare for a rush of traffic during open enrollment, when many existing users will renew coverage and new users are expected to create accounts.