Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) is now accepting applications to participate in Vermont’s Insurance Regulatory Sandbox. Under the program, insurers can request waivers of certain statutory or regulatory requirements for a limited period while an innovative insurance product or service is piloted in the Vermont marketplace. Companies seeking waivers must show that their innovative product or service could not otherwise be offered in Vermont and that a waiver is in the public interest.

“Establishing the Sandbox sends the clear message that Vermont is open to innovation and is willing to explore new ideas and new approaches to age-old products and processes,” said Commissioner Michael Pieciak. “This approach is balanced with enhanced regulatory oversight to help ensure Vermonters are protected and well served.”

Vermont Business Magazine Seeking to honor a leading Vermont environmentalist and the legacy of a legendary wildlife advocate, Green Mountain Power (GMP) is calling for nominations for the 11th annual GMP-Zetterstrom Environmental Award. Named for famed osprey advocate Meeri Zetterstrom of Milton, the award is given to one person, business, group or non-profit that has made a significant contribution to Vermont’s environment. The award is accompanied by a $2,500 donation to the winner’s environmental cause.

Vermont Business Magazine Some of our favorite Vermont products require refrigeration: craft beer, apple cider, cheese and other dairy products, and more. That refrigeration can be a significant portion of a Vermont business’s electric use, whether it’s your neighborhood convenience store, a major grocery chain, or a restaurant.

Vermont Business Magazine In partnership with Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA), Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) has released a new free resource for plant breeders entitled A Breed Apart: The Plant Breeder’s Guide to Preventing Patents through Defensive Publication. The guide outlines practices for plant breeders to keep genetic resources in the public domain.

VLS photo of Cydnee Bence and Emily Spiegel.

“Biodiversity in crop species is essential to the future of farming, especially as climate change alters growing conditions,” said Emily Spiegel, co-author and Vermont Law School assistant professor. “But agricultural biodiversity has declined drastically during the past century.”

Vermont Business Magazine The 25^th annual Special Olympics Vermont Penguin Plunge is coming up on Saturday, February 1^st at the Burlington Waterfront. Over 1,300 Plungers will take the Plunge in both the Cool Schools event (for students and educators) at 11am, and the Burlington event (for all community supporters) at noon. It is an extremely exciting day celebrating our community’s effort to grow inclusion across the state of Vermont. We invite everyone to come down to the Waterfront to experience the event and enjoy our Winter Village which will have music, food trucks, local vendors, SOVT merchandise, a scavenger hunt and more!

Vermont Business Magazine Sean, a recent Winooski High School graduate, gestured beyond farm fields to the Winooski River and Green Mountains visible from Vermont Youth Conservation Corps’ farm in Richmond. His work at VYCC last summer was supported in part by grant funds from three local companies: National Life Group Foundation, International Paper Foundation, and Hunger Mountain Co-op. All three have awarded funds to VYCC for at least five consecutive years.

Vermont Business Magazine Tobacco use remains the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, taking an estimated 480,000 lives every year. This year’s “State of Tobacco Control” report from the American Lung Association calls for proven tobacco control policies in light of the fact that the country’s youth vaping epidemic worsened in 2019. The state scored a failing grade for inadequately funding the Tobacco Control and Prevention Program, down from a D the in the 2019 report, but it scored an A grade in the minimum age category (up from an F in 2019) for being one of 13 states that increased the tobacco sales age to 21 this year.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Donovan today joined a coalition in filing an amicus brief in support of the children who are plaintiffs in Flores v. Barr. The case, currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, involves the Trump Administration’s attempts to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement, which has governed the treatment of children in immigration custody since 1997. In the amicus brief, the coalition urges the court to uphold the permanent injunction issued by the district court, preventing the federal government from keeping children in prolonged and unnecessary detention.

“Children in federal immigration custody should be treated humanely,” said Attorney General Donovan. “We will keep fighting to make sure that these kids are protected.”

Vermont Business Magazine On January 27, 2020, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) filed comments on United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Interim Final Rule establishing a Domestic Hemp Production Program. VAAFM acknowledged the complexity of developing a national hemp production program, but asked USDA to revise its rule to stay within the federal statutory mandate and avoid creating unnecessary restrictions that significantly increase costs and risks to producers.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Ward H. Goodenough, of Woodstock, as Windsor County state’s attorney, following David Cahill’s resignation this month. The outgoing state’s attorney was elected as a Democrat in 2018, so in keeping with precedent, the governor received nominations from the Windsor County Democratic Committee to fill the vacancy. The committee said it is confident that each candidate forwarded to the governor would be a capable appointee and maintain the level of service and integrity the office requires.

Vermont Business Magazine Opportunities Credit Union announced January 2, 2020 that Katharine Laud will be its President and Chief Executive Officer. Laud comes to Opportunities Credit Union with a background in banking and non-profit finance. Most recently, she was Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration at the UVM Foundation. Kate also serves as Vice Chair of the board of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in Washington DC.

Opportunities Credit Union is a statewide, nonprofit community-based lending organization whose mission is to create wealth and promote economic development by bringing affordable capital and financial services to low-income and other traditionally underserved populations. Laud assumed the role of president at Opportunities Credit Union in September 2019.