Current News

Businesses give Shareheat major boost, but CVPS issues urgent plea
RUTLAND, Vt. - A handful of leading Vermont businesses has stepped forward in an effort to head off potential heating crises, boosting the CVPS Shareheat matching fund to a record $187,000, but CVPS has issued an urgent plea for donations to the crisis heating program.
"CVPS has pledged $100,000 to Shareheat this year, and through the Shareheat Business Partnership Program, we've now added $85,000 to that pool," President Bob Young said. "The funds will be used to match customer contributions dollar for dollar and given to local community action agencies to help Vermonters in need this winter. The need will undoubtedly be tremendous."
Shareheat Business Partners include Chittenden Bank, National Life Group, Merchants Bank, Passumpsic Savings Bank, Carris Reels, Entergy Nuclear-Vermont Yankee, Omya, Vermont Country Store and Weidmann Electrical Technology.

Williston, VT - DEW Construction Corp. held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and Open House at its newly constructed LEED Registered Corporate Headquarters onsite at on September 18, 2008.
"We're happy to introduce our state-of-the-art green facility to both the public and those who helped bring this project to fruition," said Don Wells, President. "DEW is proud to be the first Williston office building that is environmentally responsible and a healthy place to work."
Governor Jim Douglas was on hand to assist in the ribbon cutting. "We are delighted Governor Douglas joined our celebration. Our dream of constructing this facility was made possible in part by Governor Douglas and his support of all Vermont businesses," said Don Wells, President. Williston Town Manager, Rick Maguire also spoke briefly at the ceremony, congratulating DEW and thanking them for keeping their business in Williston.

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. - Ecopixel, LLC, a Web development and visibility firm in Essex Junction, Vt., announced that it now offers Eco-Positive Hosting (TM) for business and nonprofit clients.
Ecopixel client Web sites and e-mail accounts are now hosted on energy-efficient servers that are 110 percent carbon offset through reforestation. Ecopixel achieves its carbon-offsetting goals through reforestation campaigns operated by American Forests, a nonprofit organization that is a world leader in planting trees for environmental restoration. Not satisfied with being carbon neutral, at 110 percent these Web servers are 'climate positive.'

Governor Announces $400,000 Training Grant
Funds Will Help 1,000 Vermonters Improve Skills
BURLINGTON, Vt. - Governor Jim Douglas has announced the award of more than $400,000 in training funds to help Vermont workers improve their skill and make their employers more competitive.
At a ceremony celebrating Vermont Business Magazine's 5 x 5 x5 Growth Awards yesterday, Douglas announced the Vermont Training Program contract with the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center for $409,150.
"This money will help train 1,000 employees in 'lean' techniques for both manufacturing and healthcare," Douglas said. "This kind of investment in Vermont's workforce will help them access high-skill, high-wage jobs; it will help employers be more competitive in the global marketplace; and it will help contain health care costs."

Merchants Bank donates $50,000 to help Vermonters heat homes
SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT -Thomas S. Leavitt, Executive Vice President for
Merchants Bank has announced that Merchants Bank and Merchants Bank Foundation are providing a total of $50,000 to support fuel assistance programs in Vermont. Fifteen thousand dollars will be granted to the CVPS SHARE HEAT program and $35,000 will be granted to Vermont's six Community Action Agencies. The contribution is part of an effort by Merchants Bank to help Vermonters heat their homes this winter and rise to the challenge of higher fuel costs.

Alain Brizard of Essex Junction
Saint Michael's physicist receives $50,000 US Dept of Energy grant to support his research in plasma dynamics
Alain Brizard, associate professor of physics at Saint Michael's College, has received a $50,000 research grant from the US Department of Energy, under the program Theoretical Research in Magnetic Fusion Energy Science, to support his research activities during his sabbatical leave from October 2008 to June 2009.

UNEMPLOYMENT EDGES UP SLIGHTLY TO 4.9% IN AUGUST, JOB GROWTH SLIPS DOWN -0.2%.
Montpelier (September 19, 2008) -- The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August 2008 was 4.9 percent, up one-tenth of a point from the revised July rate of 4.8% and up 1.1 points from a year ago.
"National economic conditions continue to have their impact on Vermont's labor market, though not quite to the same degree," said Patricia Moulton Powden, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor. "Vermont's one-tenth of a point increase in unemployment was much smaller than the nation's four-tenths increase in August. Job losses have been smaller on a percentage basis as well, though any job losses remain a concern."

Vermont's conservative financial ethos spares state, so far
By Kevin Kelley
The conservative financial practices of Vermont banks and of many individual Vermonters appear to have spared the state, so far, from the full impact of the financial crisis besetting much of the country.
Banks doing business in Vermont have "no liquidity problem," says state Banking Commissioner Thomas Candon.

"For qualified borrowers, there's no difficulty in obtaining credit in Vermont now."

Vermonters have significant opportunities to save energy in their homes, and today Governor Jim Douglas, Hal Cohen, Executive Director of the Central Vermont Community Action Council, and Jim Grevatt, Director of Residential Energy Services for Efficiency Vermont, unveiled a new initiative to help Vermonters learn how to reduce their home energy use and save money. Button Up Vermont will work with local energy committees and other civic groups to offer free home energy saving workshops in 100 Vermont communities throughout the fall.

Today, Governor Jim Douglas announced that Vermont received nearly $2.5 million in additional contingency FY2008 funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The news came as the federal government released the remaining $120.7 million in LIHEAP contingency funding for FY2008 to all states.

Prior to this latest funding award, Vermont had received roughly $16.9 million in LIHEAP funding in FY2008. This new contingency award brings Vermont's total LIHEAP appropriation in FY2008 to nearly $19.4 million.

The Vermont Public Service Board has issued a Certificate of Public Good approving Washington Electric Co-op's proposed expansion of its landfill methane generating facility at the state's largest landfill in Coventry. The PSB's Order was issued on September 17th, and authorizes the addition of a fifth generating engine at the plant, as well as a small expansion of the building and other related modifications.

The Coventry plant first began operation in 2005 and its generating capacity was previously increased in 2007. The facility is now generating almost two-thirds of all the electricity used by WEC's 10,000 member households and businesses in Orange, Washington and Caledonia Counties. The cost to WEC of this energy is significantly less than current market prices in the region, and the plant is the primary reason why WEC's members have not seen a rate increase in nine years and are not expected to for a few more.

GREEN MOUNTAIN POWER'S CEO STRONGLY ENDORSES
THE CALL FOR A DEEPER, EXPANDED RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN VERMONT AND QUEBEC
BAR HARBOR, ME - September 16, 2008 - Mary Powell, president and chief executive officer of Green Mountain Power, issued the following statement from the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers 32nd Annual Conference:
"We are thrilled that Governor Douglas and Premier Charest have embraced the concept of a broader and deeper geo-political relationship between Vermont and Quebec.
"This is entirely consistent with Green Mountain Power's stated strategy for our customers' energy future.