Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement on S.311, An act relating to bringing everyone home. This bill was passed unanimously out of the Senate Economic Development committee last week and will now move to Senate Natural Resources. S.311 includes many of the proposals in H.719, An act relating to housing development and unit rehabilitation, a tri-partisan bill introduced in the House with the Administration’s partnership, but the House has not taken it up. “If we want to make the most of the hundreds of millions of dollars we’ve invested in housing, we must make it less expensive, faster and easier to build and rehabilitate housing in Vermont. Because despite historic investments, there remains a lack of housing to meet the needs of Vermonters in every single county.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has proposed issuing 180 moose hunting permits in Vermont’s Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) E in the northeastern corner of the state in a continued effort to reduce the impact of winter ticks on moose in that area.  No permits are recommended for the rest of the state.  This is the same permit allocation that was approved by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board in 2023. The proposal was given initial approval by the Fish and Wildlife Board at its February 21 meeting and is now available for public comment.

Vermont Business Magazine Public hearings on the status of migratory game bird populations and proposed 2024 migratory game bird hunting seasons for the interior zone of Vermont and Lake Champlain zone in New York and Vermont will be held Tuesday, March 12 and Thursday, March 14. The annual Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board informational hearings will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on March 12 and March 14, 2024.  Information to attend the hearings is as follows: Tuesday, March 12, (in person only), Ticonderoga Fish and Game Club, County Route 56, Ticonderoga, NY 12883 (Across from Reale Construction); Thursday, March 14, (in person only), Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, 111 West Street, Essex Junction, Vermont 05452-4695. (To be held in the Act 250 conference room).

Vermont Business Magazine DeFreest Farms, with support from local, state and federal conservation partners, has successfully protected a 70-acre parcel in Waitsfield for farming, flood resilience and recreation, the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) announced today. The conservation project is the first in the nation to close under a new funding program to help farmers acquire farmland through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Visible from Route 100 and located on Tremblay Road, the newly protected land lies along the eastern bank of the Mad River in the heart of the scenic and productive Mad River Valley. The conservation easement on the 70-acre parcel protects its productive soils from development and ensures that the land will remain available to future farmers. It also protects the property’s many water, habitat and recreational resources.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine New data has revealed which states are expected to have the highest electricity bills this year and which will have the lowest. Hawaii is anticipated to pay out the most, and Utah to pay out the least.  Vermont ranked lower than all New England states (33rd, $1,513.34), and was lower than the US average ($1,730.55).  By comparing consumer costs between November 2022 and 2023, an annual increase was calculated for each state, determining a total bill for each household.  electric rates do not translate into electric bills necessarily. For instance, Alabama's electric rate is 14.89 cents/kwh, far lower than Vermont's 21.57 cents/kwh, but their estimated annual bill is 10th highest at $2,064.63, nearly $500 more than Vermont's. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott's office today responded to criticism that he is not doing enough to address public safety by releasing a statement saying that in Governor Scott’s Budget Address, delivered to the Legislature in January, he said, “I don’t think there will be a lot of disagreement about what’s in this budget. The disagreement will lie in what’s not in it. But pretending we can fund everything isn’t realistic.” So, when “critics say” the governor has not prioritized public safety, they are ignoring the budget reality and some key facts. First, Governor Scott’s budget did prioritize public safety. In a year where available revenue only allowed for 3.57% growth in the General Fund budget over the previous fiscal year, the governor proposed funding agencies, departments and services with public safety responsibilities at an average of 5.6% more than the previous year. 

Vermont Business Magazine ISO New England on February 21, 2024, filed the finalized results of the 18th Forward Capacity Auction (FCA 18) with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The finalized results confirm that the annual auction, held February 5, secured commitments for 31,556 megawatts (MW) of capacity to be available in 2027/2028. The results include a detailed breakdown of about 950 individual resource obligations, ranging in size from 7 kilowatts to 1.2 gigawatts and encompassing a wide variety of fuels and technologies.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Dairy Industry Association (VDIA), in partnership with the A. Pizzagalli Family Farm Fund, is pleased to announce the 2023 Vermont Milk Quality Awards. The awards recognize the dairy farmers who produced Vermont's best quality milk in 2023. These farmers were recognized yesterday at the annual Vermont Dairy Producers Conference in Burlington.  The conference, presented by the Vermont Dairy Producers Association, offers programming and activities for producers and dairy industry professionals across the Northeast. Informative presentations on a variety of topics were offered including animal care, technology and data, sustainability, human resources, and more.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) presented this year’s VCV Environmental Rising Star Awards to Senator Anne Watson (D/P-Washington) and Representative Mike Rice (D-Dorset). The VCV Environmental Rising Star Award is presented bi-annually to first-term legislators who have stepped up to be effective champions of VCV priority issues in their first legislative session, and who have a bright future of environmental leadership. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has directed the State Flood Recovery Office to simplify the application process and provide technical assistance to eligible applicants to expedite the distribution of mitigation funds to communities impacted by the July 2023 storms, flooding, and landslides. Over $100 million is available to municipalities to help mitigate the impacts of future disasters. The flooding that devastated Vermont last summer left behind more than $1 billion in response, recovery, and social support costs. The funding available through the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, managed by Vermont Emergency Management, will finance projects like roadway elevation, redesigned floodplains, home buyouts, upsized culverts, improved roadways and bridges, and others that will lessen the impacts of flooding in the future, reducing recovery costs.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network has reached a multi-year agreement with UnitedHealthcare to maintain coverage for patients with UnitedHealthcare commercial insurance plans. The agreement runs through March 31, 2026, and secures access to UVM Health Network facilities and physicians for patients who are covered through one of the nation’s largest insurance carriers. This new agreement comes at the end of a two-month extension to the previous contract, which the UVM Health Network sought in order to allow patients and employers more time to make alternative plans. 

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine A state legislator from Bennington was arrested outside the Vermont State House on Wednesday morning on a charge of driving while under the influence, Montpelier Police said. Police said Representative James Carroll (D-Bennington) was stopped as he pulled his car into a parking lot at the so-called Pink Lady, a multi-story building which serves as the office for the Joint Fiscal Affairs Office at 1 Baldwin Street. Carroll will not be contesting the criminal charge, according to Representative Kathleen James, D-Manchester, the assistant majority leader.