Current News
by tim
Two Vermont organizations have received $1.2 million as part of HUD grants. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced the recipients of the 2011 Sustainable Communities Grants, totaling over $97 million nationwide. Twenty seven communities and organizations across the country will receive Community Challenge grants and 29 regional areas will receive Regional Planning grants. The goal of the Sustainable Communities grants is to help communities and regions improve their economic competitiveness by connecting housing with good jobs, quality schools and transportation.
by tim
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin received the 2011 Green Governor of the Year Award last week at the Opportunity Green business conference at Los Angeles Center Studios. The award was founded by Beautiful Earth Group, a sustainable energy facilities and products developer, and is presented each year by its CEO, Lex Heslin. Following the award, the governor met with local clean tech business leaders and California State Governor Jerry Brown.
Governor Shumlin received the award for his environmental advocacy, regulatory reforms to support the clean tech industry in Vermont and efforts to clean the state's energy portfolio. Shumlin, a new, young governor, is seen as a rising star in the environmental movement, and a leader who clearly sees the broader linkages of policies implemented in the Green Mountain State.
by tim
The number of Us foreclosures is up more than 9 percent in the last year, though delinguecy rates over the last year and the latest month are down. Vermont remains among those states with the fewest bad mortgages.
Lender Processing Services, Inc. (NYSE: LPS), a leading provider of integrated technology, data and analytics to the mortgage and real estate industries, reports the following "first look" at October 2011 month-end mortgage performance statistics derived from its loan-level database of nearly 40 million mortgage loans.
by tim
The US Small Business Administration announced today that certain Private Non-Profit Organizations (PNPs) in Vermont that do not provide critical services of a governmental nature may be eligible to apply for low interest rate disaster loans. These loans are available as a result of a Presidential disaster declaration for Public Assistance resulting from damages caused by severe storms and flooding that occurred on May 20, 2011.
PNPs located in the following counties that provide non-critical services are eligible to apply: Franklin, Washington, Windham in Vermont . Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.
by tim
The day after Tropical Storm Irene struck Vermont and severely damaged more than 500 miles of state road and some 200 bridges, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) quickly learned that its usual method of conveying information about road and bridge closures via the Internet was not going to be adequate. A new tool was needed, and it was needed fast.
Early the next day, the phone rang.
Former Vermont State Senator Matt Dunne, who heads up Community Affairs for Google, was on the line. A resident of Windsor County, which was hit particularly hard by the storm, Dunne was reaching out to all states that were impacted by Irene to offer Google’s services ‘ free of charge.
VTrans quickly accepted.
by tim
In a decisive vote of 70 to 30, the US Senate Thursday night gave final approval to a transportation budget bill that includes provisions added by Senator Patrick Leahy (D) to replenish the federal government’s depleted transportation emergency fund, along with the crucial cost waivers he authored that will mean tens of millions of additional dollars for road and bridge repair aid that will speed Vermont’s recovery from Tropical Storm Irene.
The Senate’s vote came three hours after House approval of the bill Thursday afternoon in a vote of 298 to 121. Leahy said the President will promptly sign the bill into law.
by tim
The new company created by the merger of Green Mountain Power and Central Vermont Public Service (NYSE: CV) will be called ‘Green Mountain Power’ and will adopt CVPS’s three sub-brands and a new logo that connects the traditions and history of both companies. Pending the sale of CVPS to Gaz Métro, a leading Quebec energy company and GMP’s parent, CVPS and GMP are expected to merge in 2012.
‘In choosing our name, vision statement and sub-brands, we are taking the best of each company, just as we will do as we analyze every process and function, from customer service to storm response, billing to line construction,’ said GMP President and CEO Mary Powell, who will lead the combined company. ‘The merger will lead to a new, better company, built on the best ways to efficiently serve our customers.’
by tim
The Windham Foundation of Grafton, Vermont has announced it has established a Grafton Relief Fund totaling $50,000 to serve residents in the Grafton and immediate surrounding area who were directly affected by the Tropical Storm Irene. The Foundation has partnered with two fellow nonprofits, Grafton Cares and Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) to administer the funds.
The fund was primarily established through donations from members of the Windham Foundation board of trustees, and was supplemented by members of the Grafton community and guests of the Grafton Inn.
When Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont, the Grafton area was heavily damaged with flooding. While the historic village of Grafton has recovered at an astonishing speed and all businesses are fully operational, there are several families in the region that are still in need of working through damage on their homes and land.
by tim
The mobile home de-construction team headed by Lt. Governor Phil Scott and Secretary of Commerce and Community Development Lawrence Miller gathered this morning at Weston's Park in Berlin for the delivery of the first new mobile home since the flood.
Today's delivery marks a significant step forward for the park, where 70 homes were substantially damaged by Irene. The team headed by Lt. Gov. Scott and Secretary Miller removed 30 of those homes over the past two weeks at no cost to the homeowners. By working with contractors, community organizers and state officials, the team substantially reduced the cost of removal by lining up several homes for on-site demolition in the same park at the same time. Individual mobile home disposal typically involves trucking the unit out of the park and, when done one at a time, can cost upwards of $3,500.
by tim
Seventh Generation, a leading maker of non-toxic and renewable household and personal care products, has announced that a radical new reformulation of its best-selling laundry liquids has received one of the first ever USDA BioPreferred labels. The innovation responsible for this distinction is a brand new surfactant derived entirely from plant-based materials that's been developed by the company and its partners at Rhodia, member of the Solvay group.
by tim
The Vermont Department of Labor announced today the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for October 2011 was 5.6 percent, a decrease of two-tenths of a percent from the September rate. Compared to a year ago, the rate is lower by three-tenths of a percentage point. The current comparable national rate is 9.0 percent which reflects a decrease of one-tenth of a percent from the previous month.
Vermont Labor Force Statistics
Seasonally Adjusted
Change to
October 2011 from
October
2011
September
2011
October
2010
September
2011
October
2010
Total Labor Force
362,700
362,100
360,400
600
2,300
by tim
The Green Mountain Club today unveiled a first-in-the-state, wood-burning heat and hot water system. This small-scale, exterior system is part of the club’s new 100 percent on-site renewable energy portfolio for its Waterbury Center campus.
‘As the stewards of the Long Trail, its important that the Green Mountain Club walks the walk in promoting efficiency and small-scale renewable energy,’ said Will Wiquist, executive director of the club. ‘We must take responsibility for our own impacts on the environment if we are going to expect others to help protect Vermont’s hiking trails and the mountains and forests they cross.’