Current News

The first patent in the young United States was issued on this date, July 31, in 1790 to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont for a new method of making potash — useful in producing soap, fertilizer and glass, according to US Census Bureau. The Constitution recognized, for the first time in history, the intrinsic right of an inventor to profit from his invention. Hopkins' application was initially reviewed by Thomas Jefferson and approved by President Washington.

By 1802, the US Patent Office was established to process applications. Annually, more than 244,000 patents are granted. Individuals receive 6 percent of patents — the remainder are granted to US and foreign corporations, with slightly more granted to foreign companies. Agricultural chemical manufacturing is now a $32 billion a year industry in the US. .

According to the Northeastern Vermont Development Association, Sweet Tree Holdings, a Connecticut company, has purchased the former Ethan Allen furniture manufacturing facility. Renovations have begun on the 82,000 square foot building, vacant since 2000. Sweet Tree 1, a maple syrup processing operation, plans to hire 20-30 employees over time. The enterprise fits into the Brighton Town Plan and the facility is located within an industrial zone. The developers are seeking a local site plan and Act 250 permit amendment.

Ledyard Financial Group, Inc (ticker symbol LFGP), the holding company for Ledyard National Bank, today reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2014. Net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2014, was $987,650 or $0.97 per share compared to $794,418 or $0.79 per share for the same period in 2013, an increase of $193,232 or 24.32%. Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2014 was $1,925,956, or $1.90 per share compared to $1,553,498 or $1.54 per share for the same period in 2013, an increase of $372,458 or 23.98%. The increase in net income for the quarter and first six months when compared to the prior year is due to an increase in lending activity and an increase in revenue from Ledyard Financial Advisors.

The protests of the Vermont Gas pipeline that will extend into Addison County and eventually to Rutland and the Ticonderoga paper plant in New York were renewed Wednesday when opponents of the natural gas pipeline staged a walk-through and sit-in at the Williston staging area. Pipe laying has already begun in Williston as the line is extended from Colchester, but protesters chose to block the entrance to the staging and office location, which stopped trucks and workers from entering or leaving for a short time. Once company officials approached the protesters, they dispersed to public areas to avoid being cited for trespassing. At a protest in May at the VGS headquarters in South Burlington, one protester who had chained herself to the front door was arrested and two others were eventually cited for trespassing. No arrests were made this time, but each side issued tersely worded statements (see below).

At a news conference on Capitol Hill and in testimony at an Environmental Protection Agency public hearing, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Wednesday strongly endorsed an EPA proposal to limit carbon pollution from power plants to curb global warming.

“If we do not address this crisis, our children and grandchildren will look back on this problem and we will be judged by history in a very negative way,” Sanders said.

The EPA hearings here and in Denver and Atlanta were held to take public comment on President Barack Obama's plan to address climate change by cutting carbon-dioxide emissions from electric power plants by 30 percent by 2030.

Vermont’s Secretary of Agriculture, Chuck Ross, will join Rutland County legislators at the Rutland Downtown Farmers’ Market to kick-off National Farmer’s Market Week this Saturday, August 2. The market, located at 98 Merchant’s Row in Rutland’s Depot Park, is one of eighty farmers’ markets across the state. Per capita, Vermont has more farmers’ markets than any other state in the nation. According to Ross, Vermont’s thriving farmers’ market community is a reflection of the values of Vermonters.

“Farmers’ markets bring communities together, provide local, healthy food, create opportunity for farmers, and preserve the Working Landscape, which is why so many Vermonters are proud to support them.” Ross said.

He also believes the markets play an important educational role.

Oil storage and distribution company CV Oil of Pittsfield, Vermont, paid a $3,000 penalty to settle EPA claims that it did not have a spill prevention plan. This Vermont business is one of seven oil storage and distribution companies in New England that have all created or updated spill prevention plans and come into compliance with federal oil pollution prevention laws, thereby ensuring that the local environment in the communities in which they operate are better protected from the potential of a damaging oil spill.

by John Herrick vtdigger.org Federal nuclear regulators say storing spent nuclear fuel on-site indefinitely is safe. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week released a study on the environmental impacts of storing spent nuclear fuel. The report found that dry casks designed to store spent nuclear fuel can withstand natural disasters, and the risk of a terrorist attack is unlikely. Entergy’s Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon is scheduled to close at the end of the year for economic reasons. The Louisiana-based company plans to store spent fuel from the reactor in steel dry casks on site indefinitely.

On August 15, Green Mountain College will ban the sale of bottled water on its Poultney campus. Like many campus sustainability initiatives, the ban comes largely as a result of a student-led project. Andrea (Dre) Roebuck ’14 consulted with the College’s sustainability coordinator Aaron Witham about the most effective way to go about banning the sale of bottled water. Roebuck’s concerns were economic (bottled water is more expensive than tap water) and environmental (only about 14 percent of plastic bottles make it into the recycling bin, and producing plastic bottles takes about 1.5 million barrels of oil per year, according to the Earth Policy Institute). According to Witham, Roebuck and other students were also concerned about the commodification of water, which is becoming an ever more precious resource.

by Hilary Niles vtdigger.org The management of Jay Peak Resort is defending its right to convert $17.5 million in equity stakes held by immigrant investors into unsecured, nine-year loans. The conversion was implemented on Aug. 31, 2013, without the knowledge or consent of 35 immigrant investors who each put up $500,000 toward the construction of Tram Haus Lodge, which is part of the Jay Peak Resort. The deal was disclosed to reporters and the Vermont EB-5 Regional Center last year, but investors were not sent a copy of paperwork for the original loan until May of this year. Jay Peak has since offered a second IOU to investors that shortens the repayment period to five years. The promissory note is secured by the value of Jay Peak Resort, says company president Bill Stenger. But a group of 20 disgruntled investors question the value of the guarantee.

Funeral services for Vermont Law School Professor Cheryl Hanna will be held Friday, August 1, in the Ira Allen Chapel at the University of Vermont, her family and school officials confirmed Tuesday. VLS Trustee Emeritus and former Board of Trustees Chairman J. Scott Cameron will speak at the service, which will begin at 3 pm.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Cheryl’s family during this time of deepest sorrow—and with our students, alumni, faculty, and staff who mourn their colleague, teacher, and friend,” said President and Dean Marc Mihaly. “Cheryl’s legacy of leadership, scholarship, advocacy, and service is an inspiration to all of us.”

SEE FULL STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT MIHALY BELOW

The Department of Environmental Conservation’s Compliance and Enforcement Division (CED) today announced that it formally settled environmental violations involving the Village of Essex Junction. Essex Junction operates a wastewater treatment facility which released 1,954,853 gallons of non-disinfected wastewater into the Winooski River. The settlement includes a $22,625.00 penalty. A CED investigation revealed that during construction activities at the facility last summer, operators moved a panel which controls the application of hypochlorite for disinfection.