Current News

US Senator Bernie Sanders and Governor Peter Shumlin today announced a $15 million, three-year partnership with Sandia National Laboratory to establish a joint Center for Energy Transformation and Innovation to be housed at the University of Vermont.
‘I am very proud to announce that we are bringing a very significant national lab presence to New England, by establishing the Center for Energy Transformation and Innovation right here in Vermont,’ Sanders said. ‘It is our goal that this Vermont/Sandia partnership will lead to a long-term national lab presence in Vermont, and that our state and the nation can benefit from the research conducted here for years to come.’

Vermont Law School today released its second annual Top 10 Environmental Watch List today, spotlighting the nation's most critical environmental law and policy issues of 2011 and how they may play out in 2012.
The Watch List (see below) is available at http://watchlist.vermontlaw.edu/
This year’s report contains 10 essays, plus a Special Mention essay and three additional issues to watch in 2012. The issues were chosen based on their significance to the environment and public well being and whether a key development is expected in the coming year.

Once again, snowmakers defied Mother Nature’s thoughts of a warm winter and made enough snow this week so that skiers and riders could celebrate opening day Saturday at Bolton Valley, just 30 minutes from Burlington and 10 minutes from Interstate 89.
Bolton Valley opened at 10 am with two trails and two lifts. Photos are available here.
To kick off the 2011-2012 season, Bolton Valley officials created a festive package of activities to complement skiing and riding on opening day. In addition to the inaugural turns on opening day, skiers and riders filled their tummies with yummy samples of some of Vermont’s finest food purveyors. Olivia’s Croutons and Two Guys in VT Soups, Vermont Natural Foods, Vermont Cookie Love, and Red Maple Granola were just a few of the companies offering samples of their wares from 11 a.m. ‘ 3 p.m. to guests at Bolton.

Mount Snow, in West Dover, Vermont, kicked off the 2011/2012 winter ski season on Saturday, December 10, with festivities surrounding the Grand Opening of North America’s only high speed detachable six passenger bubble lift, the Bluebird Express. The celebration included a ribbon cutting ceremony, champagne spray, lift line party and the entire enthusiastic crowd reciting the Bluebird Oath.
The technologically advanced lift cost $8.5 million to install and is now the primary lift from base to summit at Mount Snow carrying passengers to the 3,600-foot summit in just over seven minutes; half the ride time of the fixed grip triple chair it replaced.
Link to video coverage of today’s Grand Opening festivities.
http://youtu.be/0DfwMkYK8KA

West Dover, VT (December 10, 2011)

The Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA) has issued administrative charges against UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company to determine whether a fine or other sanction should be imposed on the national insurer for deceptive advertising. BISHCA alleges violations that include failing to file Medicare Supplement advertisements for approval by the Department and engaging in unfair insurance practices.
The charges state that throughout the fall, UnitedHealthcare placed unapproved Medicare Supplement advertisements in various Vermont newspapers and other media. It is also alleged that representations contained in some of the advertisements at issue are untrue, deceptive or misleading.
A preliminary pre-hearing conference on these charges is scheduled for Tuesday, December 13.

Rural Vermont is requesting all raw milk producers across the state participate in a survey on raw milk sales in Vermont. The Vermont Legislature has requested that Rural Vermont present data to the House and Agricultural Committees representing the viability of raw milk sales in the state. Farmers who sell raw milk will be asked questions ranging from gross annual sales to issues encountered with the current law. The motivation behind this comprehensive survey is to gather valuable information to convince policy makers that raw milk is a growing and important part of Vermont’s agricultural economy.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin and other state officials will join FairPoint’s leadership team to honor the extraordinary dedication and service to Vermont and their fellow Vermonters following Tropical Storm Irene.
Tropical Storm Irene tested all Vermonters, and the FairPoint Vermont State President’s Awards were created to honor those who went way beyond the call-of-duty to keep Vermonters, and their towns and villages, connected.
2011 has been a tough year for Vermont. In addition to rebuilding Vermont telecommunications infrastructure post-Tropical Storm Irene, FairPoint helped communities recover from historic spring floods in Chittenden and Franklin counties. Wedged in between and during these 100-year events, FairPoint successfully completed the largest broadband buildout Vermont has ever seen with almost 1,100 miles of new fiber and nearly 90 percent of FairPoint’s Vermont customers now having broadband access.

Governor Peter Shumlin and the Vermont State Employees Association announced today that they have reached tentative agreements on labor contracts covering three bargaining units: Corrections, Supervisory and Non-Management Units. These agreements are subject to ratification by the VSEA membership and cover a two-year period, from July 2012 to June 2014.
Under the terms of the contracts, state employees will receive a 2 percent increase in July 2012 and an additional 2 percent increase in July 2013. In accordance with the contract now in place, the 3 percent decrease in compensation taken by state employees for the 2011-2012 fiscal years will be restored at the end of June 2012. In addition, previously ‘frozen’ step movement will resume in July 2012.

At the Good Samaritan Haven, Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) today announced bipartisan legislation to help rural states like Vermont secure additional funding to fight homelessness. Welch is introducing the bill with Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY).
Welch’s bill (HR 3141) would increase federal funding to Vermont for the federal Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program. Established in 1990, PATH provides funding for local efforts to help homeless, mentally ill Vermonters and those at risk of becoming homeless.

There were 1,250 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, as claims remain at a high level post Tropical Storm Irene. However, new claims decreased of 111 from the week before. Last summer's historically low claims came to an abrupt end with the storm. The numbers then dropped signifcantly in the following weeks after the storm, but in the last several weeks there has been mostly an increase in the number of new claims. The latest numbers are more than double the initial claims observed in July and August.

Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) and Fletcher Allen Health Care, now affiliated as Fletcher Allen Partners (FAP), recently made a significant step in sharing resources while improving patient care without the need for transporting the patient to Burlington.
Intensivists, Dr. Gil Allen and Dr. Ryan Clouser, located at Fletcher Allen in Burlington, were able to consult with Dr. Craig from The Health Center in Plainfield while he was at the bedside of a patient in CVMC’s intensive care unit by means of a roving telemedicine unit. Intensivists are physicians with specialized training in critical-care medicine who care for patients in intensive care units.

Governor Peter Shumlin announced today that Verizon Wireless recently activated a new cell site in Warren that expands wireless voice and 3G data coverage at Sugarbush Resort and the town of Warren, as well as the surrounding areas. The company invested in Washington County to continue to stay ahead of increasing demand for reliable voice and mobile Internet access, moving the state closer to the Governor’s goal of statewide service by the end of 2013.