Current News
by tim
Vermont lawmakers passed H695 last week, the first single-use battery product stewardship law in the United States. Vermont will be the first state to require single-use battery manufacturers to develop a program for collecting and recycling batteries at their end of life. The program will go into effect on January 1, 2016.
While some municipal governments and private organizations in the United States are already voluntarily collecting and recycling single-use batteries, their efforts have been fragmented and costly. Municipalities in particular have had to carry the burden of collecting batteries without the funds to offset their costs.
To address this issue in Vermont, the bill, introduced by Representative Tony Klein (D-East Montpelier), requires manufacturers to finance collecting and recycling single-use batteries and encourages consumers to recycle through public education and outreach programs.
by tim
US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will travel to Vermont today to see first-hand how Vermont is helping to lead the nation in transforming our energy system from fossil fuels to sustainable energy, the Vermont congressional delegation announced. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Rep Peter Welch (D-Vermont) will join Moniz at an energy summit in Middlebury to discuss energy efficiency, renewable energy and climate change. Moniz also will visit energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives in Rutland County.
Energy Summit
Who: Congressional delegation, US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and state leaders
What: Panel discussion followed by Q & A
When: 10 a.m., Friday, May 16
Where: McCullough Student Center; Middlebury College; 14 Old Chapel Road; Middlebury, Vt.
Press Conference
by tim
by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The New England region is expected to have the resources needed to meet consumer demand for electricity this summer, according to ISO New England Inc, the operator of the region’s bulk power system and wholesale electricity markets. ISO also reported that wholesale electric prices in New England jumped 45 percent, or $2.7 billion in 2013, mostly because of the rising cost (ie, demand) of natural gas. This led to a windfall for Entergy Vermont Yankee, which made over $100 million in the first quarter of this year, and ultimately to Green Mountain Power customer, as GMP got $17.8 million in revenue sharing from VY. Vermont Yankee is closing by the end of this year.
2014 summer forecast
by tim
by John Herrick vtdigger.org Grassroots campaigns that pitted public health advocates against industries opposed to new regulation were winners in the Vermont Legislature’s biennium that ended Saturday. Garnering national headlines, the governor signed the nation’s first GMO labeling initiative and the regulation of toxic chemicals in children’s products has support in his administration. The new law requires food manufacturers to label products containing genetically engineered ingredients sold in the state starting July 1, 2016.
by tim
FirstLight Fiber, a facilities-based telecommunications service provider operating fiber optic networks in Upstate New York and Northern New England, including Vermont, with connectivity to Canada, has announced that it has expanded its network capabilities to support 100 Gbps connectivity at any of its on-net locations.
This network expansion comes in response to increased customer demand for high bandwidth connections in Tier 2 and Tier 3 metro markets. This capability was accomplished in part due to the support provided by LightRiver Technologies, an integrator of multi-vendor transport networks, and leverages Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform equipped with third generation WaveLogic Coherent Optics.
by tim
By Deb Markowitz, Vermont Secretary, Agency of Natural Resources Heat waves, heavy rainstorms, floods. That is the long term forecast for the Northeast as a result of global climate change. The National Climate Assessment, issued last week by the White House, provides scientific information about how climate change is impacting different regions of the country and different sectors of the economy.
This comprehensive report, developed with help from hundreds of the nation’s top experts on climate change, tells us in unprecedented detail that climate change is not some future threat. It is already here, and it is affecting not just Vermont, but every part of our country and every sector of our economy. The report makes it clear that urgent action is needed to combat the threats from climate change and to ensure that our families and communities are resilient to these threats.
by tim
President Obama announced last week an expanded energy efficiency initiative that Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) has championed in Congress. Over the next two years the federal government will double from $2 billion to $4 billion the amount of energy efficiency work being performed in federal buildings around the country.
The initiative utilizes a public/private partnership known as “performance contracting” to retrofit federal buildings around the country at no additional cost to the taxpayer. Energy service companies and utilities performing the work are paid out of the savings they achieve rather than through additional appropriations.
by tim
Valener Inc (Valener) (TSX: VNR), the public investment vehicle in Gaz Métro Limited Partnership (Gaz Métro), has reported its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2014. Gaz Métro owns Green Mountain Power and Vermont Gas systems. Recurring net income attributable to common shareholders totalled$29.1 million ($0.77 per common share), up $5.1 million or 21.3% compared with the same period last year. For the first six months of fiscal 2014, it totalled $44.9 million ($1.19 per common share), up $6.6 million or 17.2% year over year.
by tim
Each year, more than 75,000 visitors enjoy the natural resources and recreational opportunities offered at Vermont’s 863-acre Waterbury Reservoir. Little River State Park, Waterbury Center State Park and the surrounding forest land offer visitors access to boating, swimming, paddling, fishing, camping and hiking.
“Waterbury Reservoir is one of the most popular lakes in our state park system,” said Susan Bulmer, Northeast Parks Regional Manager for Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (VDFPR). “As stewards of state land and the parks, our department is responsible for conserving and managing the natural resources within our parks while providing a safe recreational experience for visitors.”
by tim
by John Herrick vtdigger.org The Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to the state last week calling on the Shumlin administration to come up with money to implement the Lake Champlain cleanup plan. “Turning a good plan into reality hinges on getting more staff and more money for the core work of this plan,” the letter read. “Vermont will need to commit state resources to get the programs up and running.”
In order to comply with the Clean Water Act, Vermont must reduce phosphorus loading into Lake Champlain by 36 percent, the feds say. The state is working with the EPA to draft a new Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan to set phosphorus pollution targets by late summer.
Phosphorus from agricultural and stormwater runoff has been linked to frequent toxic algae blooms in parts of Vermont’s largest lake.
by tim
Seven initiatives -- including two lecture series and five projects -- have been selected by UVM’s Clean Energy Fund (CEF) Committee for 2014-2015. The CEF is designed to advance clean and renewable energy on campus through research, education and infrastructure. The fund is supported by a self-imposed student fee of $10 per student per semester, generating about $225,000 per year. This year’s initiatives, approved for funding by the vice president of finance, total $152,844.
by tim
At the Alchemist Cannery today in Waterbury, Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) unveiled a two-prong bipartisan effort to block a proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule that would likely end the longstanding practice of Vermont brewers providing nutritious and cost effective spent grain to farmers to feed their livestock. The spent grain would otherwise be dumped in landfills or composted at a significant cost to brewers.
The proposed rule would impose burdensome new requirements on brewers, including onerous record keeping, testing, and process requirements. For example, it would require brewers to undertake the costly process of drying and and prepackaging spent grain before it could be delivered to farmers.