Current News

by Meg Hansen The Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) requires Vermont to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by specific amounts by 2025, 2030, and 2050. Failure to meet these mandatory targets would allow any person to sue the state, at taxpayers' expense, for non-compliance. The GWSA appointed a 23-member Vermont Climate Council to create an action plan. If the CHS is enacted, Vermont will become the first state in the nation to regulate all fossil-based home heating fuels. An unelected 3-member Public Utilities Commission (PUC) – not the Legislature – will craft the details and administer the program.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living (DAIL) is developing the next State Plan on Aging, work required by the Older Americans Act (OAA) that outlines the roles and responsibilities of the State and the Area Agencies on Aging in administering and carrying out the Older Americans Act. The draft plan is available online at Draft for Public Comment.

Vermont Business Magazine In common conversation, the words “medical” and “anthropology” are not often found side by side. But, there’s actually a whole field exploring how these two concepts overlap. It’s called Medical Anthropology. Medical Matters Weekly with Dr. Trey Dobson is pleased to welcome Carolyn Smith-Morris, PhD, one of the foremost experts in the field, at noon on Wednesday, April 13.

by Jeff Tieman, CEO, VAHHS Last Tuesday morning, my former boss at the Catholic Health Association—Sister Carol Keehan—texted me that she was going to the White House to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act with President Biden and President Obama. Across the country there are still far too many people who are uninsured—at least 25 million by most estimates. But the ACA helped cut that number in half. And here in Vermont, we have a very low uninsured rate, among the lowest in the country. Nearly 97% of Vermonters have health insurance coverage, according to a March 30 report by the Agency of Human Services.

Vermont Business Magazine Wilkins Harley-Davidson in Barre has been collaborating with Harley-Davidson engineers to build an electric motorcycle for law enforcement use. Recognizing the expertise of their technicians, the legendary Harley-Davidson Motor Company has entrusted the development of this specialized machine with the Master Technicians at Wilkins Harley-Davidson. Wilkins was chosen based on its experience in building the nation’s first law enforcement electric LiveWire motorcycle for the Vermont Department of Motor vehicles.

Vermont Business Magazine The nation’s three largest credit reporting agencies on Friday announced major changes to how medical debt affects consumer credit ratings. Beginning July 1, 2022, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion will remove nearly 70% of medical debt from Americans’ credit reports. The obligation to pay the debt however will remain. Low credit scores can have a material impact on consumers by reducing credit access, increasing the cost of accessing credit, making it more difficult to secure a job or housing, and lowering individuals’ self-esteem.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 100 cases of COVID-19 for Sunday (186 Saturday, 233 Friday, 243 Thursday, 216 Wednesday, 219 Tuesday, 150 Monday, and 43 last Sunday.) The VDH reported three additional deaths on Friday for 623 statewide. COVID-related fatalities in March (17) were the fewest since last July (2). One of the newly reported fatalities is attributed to a March case, but the other two are the first fatalities noted in April. The individuals were all at least 70.

​Vermont Business Magazine On April 15, the Middlebury College Museum of Art will once again be open to the public, and no reservations will be required for attendance. The museum has been open only to Middlebury students, faculty, and staff with advance registration for the past two years, due to the pandemic. During the hiatus, the museum took the opportunity to make some additions and improvements, including new exhibits.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Vail Resorts announced four investments to provide accessible and affordable housing for its employees at Park City Mountain in Utah, Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Vail Mountain in Colorado, and Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont as part of the company's strategic focus on investing in the employee experience. Collectively, the four investments will provide new affordable housing to more than 875 Vail Resorts employees, marking a more than 10 percent increase in affordable employee housing offered by the company across its resorts. Okemo joins a growing number of Vermont businesses using and needing company housing because of the tight and expensive market here, as workers are in short supply.

by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, VAHHS This week, I am spotlighting an issue that hospitals and all of Vermont continues to struggle with—long wait times in emergency departments (EDs). We continue to see dozens of people regularly waiting days, sometimes even weeks, in emergency departments. Children, adults, families and health care providers are suffering. VAHHS will continue to advocate for and support all initiatives that address long wait times.

Vermont Business Magazine University of Vermont (UVM) researchers see a mosaic of diverse forest habitats, or patchwork, as a way of creating a resilient landscape that is better adapted to climate change. In a new paper published in Conservation Science and Practice, authors Littlefield, now a lead scientist at Conservation Science Partners, and RSENR Professor Anthony D’Amato, recommend practicing forest management through a lens of climate adaptation to help maintain forests for carbon benefits while alsoproviding refuge for wildlife. Climate change adaptation prioritizes landscape diversity, complexity, and connectivity.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets The International Workshop on Agritourism (IWA) is coming to Burlington, VT from August 30 to September 1, 2022. Join agriculture and tourism industry professionals from the United States and beyond for an exciting program full of educational sessions, poster presentations, hands-on workshops, farm tours, and networking events. Farmers, agricultural service providers, tourism experts, and those interested in learning more about agritourism are all encouraged to attend and share your own knowledge, experiences, and expertise!