Current News

Green Mountain Solar The Public Service Department has issued a request for public input asking Vermonters for their opinion on where our electricity comes from, and Green Mountain Solar is here to speak up! We believe that Vermont’s renewable energy policies are not ambitious enough, and in their current status, can be counterproductive by leading to detrimental greenwashing. Vermont should review these policies to align with Vermonters’ demand for truly green energy. There is a common misconception in Vermont: That our grid is already green enough. The truth is that our current renewable energy policies lead to textbook greenwashing. It all starts with our state’s goal of 90% renewable energy for the electric grid by 2050 as outlined by the States Comprehensive Energy Plan.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police and other law-enforcement agencies are investigating after receiving multiple reports of explosive devices or suspicious items in and around college and university campuses across Vermont on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. No devices have been found, and the threats all appear to be unfounded.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) today announced the recipients of the Vermont Community Leadership Award and Vermont Lifetime Leadership Award. These awards will be presented at VCRD’s 2022 Vermont Community Leadership Summit on August 10 at the Vermont Technical College in Randolph. This year, the Lifetime Leadership Award is being presented to Brenda Torpy, the former CEO of Champlain Housing Trust (CHT), and Sarah Carpenter, the former Executive Director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA). The 2022 Community Leadership Award will be given to Pam Parsons of Richford and the Executive Director of the Northern Tier Center for Health (the NOTCH).

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department (BED) issued a peak alert for Thursday, August 4 as part of its Defeat the Peak program launched during summer 2017, encouraging members of the Burlington community to reduce their energy usage from 5:00-7:00pm.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) is encouraging members to conserve electricity tomorrow (Thursday) evening as high temperatures roll into the New England. Specifically, VEC asks members to conserve electricity from 5-9 pm.

Vermont Business Magazine United Way of Northwest Vermont (UWNWVT), an organization dedicated to improving lives in Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, has awarded $180,000 in subgrants to local organizations and programs in support of their efforts to reduce substance misuse among youth and young adults in Vermont. The funding comes from a Vermont Prevention Center of Excellence (PCE) grant awarded to United Way through the Vermont Division of Substance Use Programs (DSU) with federal funds from Department of Health & Human Services and SAMHSA State Opioid Response and CDC Overdose Data to Action.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Tuesday applauded the passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act, which will greatly expand health care coverage for America’s veterans, including those who were exposed to toxic burn pits during their deployments.

Vermont Business Magazine The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Hopridge Farms presents the Southern Vermont Summer Homebrew Festival on Saturday, August 6th 2022 from 12pm to 4pm in downtown Bennington, Vermont at the Bennington Sports Center on North Street. The annual event encourages brew-loving patrons to come and enjoy unlimited sampling of home-brewed beer, wine, mead, cider and more, plus entertainment and eats from the area’s food trucks.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) Tuesday delivered his first public comments on the Inflation Reduction Act calling on his colleagues to improve the legislation to meet the needs of the American people. Sanders’ remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below and can be watched here.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Public has launched the Made Here Fund, an initiative to broaden and diversify Vermont storytelling and support content creators. Storytellers from across the state are invited to apply for special funding for a wide range of projects and formats, including documentary storytelling, nonfiction audio projects, digital video content, podcasts, and multimedia web-based projects. Initial funding has been provided by current and former members of Vermont Public’s board of directors.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday, US Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the Patent Examination and Quality Improvement Act of 2022, legislation to evaluate and improve the patent examination process and the overall quality of patents issued by the USPTO. This legislation would evaluate prior and current initiatives and pilot programs relating to the quality of patents. It would evaluate the need for greater clarity in terms of what constitutes patent quality, the setting of patent quality metrics, and how the quality of work product performed by patent examiners is measured within the office.

by C.B. Hall, VermontBiz On Wednesday, August 3, an organic dairy farm in Morristown will become the first in the state to make the switch from Horizon Organic to Organic Valley as its milk marketer. Organic Valley expects to pick up the contents of the Rooney family farm's bulk tank at 9 am., according to a press release from the Wisconsin-based cooperative. Horizon Organic was acquired by Danone North America, a unit of French dairy products giant Groupe Danone, in 2017, and now is one of 16 U.S. brands owned by the conglomerate. In August 2021 Danone North America announced that, as of August 2022, it would cancel contracts for purchasing milk from its 89 organic dairy farm partners in New York and New England, including 28 in Vermont.