Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Thursday announced more than $15 million in funding for specific Vermont projects in the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2022 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill that will support the Lake Champlain Basin and renewable energy throughout the state. This is the annual Appropriations bill that funds several federal agencies.

Leahy secured more than $5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the construction phase of the Burlington Electric Department’s district energy project, which will deliver renewable thermal energy to Vermonters from Burlington’s McNeil Biomass Generating Station. In the bill approved Wednesday by the Appropriations Committee, Leahy also secured $5 million to support Vermont Energy Investment Corp’s (VEIC) collaboration with 17 distribution utilities to deploy thermal energy storage technology around the state. The project will better manage energy use by homes, government buildings, schools, and hospitals with a focus on economically distressed rural areas and areas where grid constraints make deploying renewable energy more difficult, like the Northeast Kingdom.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Mutual Insurance Group® has again been recognized as one of the top 50 property and casualty insurers in the United States by Ward Group. This is the thirteenth consecutive year Vermont Mutual has been recognized as a “Ward’s 50” insurer. Every year, Ward Group conducts a comprehensive financial analysis of approximately 3,000 U.S. property and casualty insurers. The “Ward’s 50” designation identifies the top 50 P&C carriers in the U.S. for their consistency, safety and superior financial performance.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement in reaction to President Joe Biden’s nomination of Vermont Supreme Court Justice Beth Robinson to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit:

“Justice Robinson has been a steadfast public servant for the people of Vermont and has served admirably on the Vermont Supreme Court. She will make a great addition to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, bringing the Vermont values of commitment to justice and equality, fairness, and Freedom & Unity to the bench.

“I applaud the President for making this historic nomination, and I urge the United States Senate to move expeditiously towards her confirmation.”

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate and Former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, strongly praised President Biden’s historic nomination of longtime Vermonter and Vermont Supreme Court Justice Beth Robinson to serve on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Justice Beth Robinson – a pioneer in the national movement for LBGTQ rights and the first openly gay Vermont Supreme Court Justice – would be the first ever openly LGBTQ woman to serve on a federal circuit court of appeals. Justice Robinson’s nomination comes on the heels of the passing of Judge Peter Hall, a legal giant and friend of Senator Leahy who left an indelible imprint on the Second Circuit with his intellect and compassion.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Code Academy (BCA) has partnered with BTV Ignite to help provide underserved communities access to computer programming courses that lead to high-paying careers in tech. The partnership is focused on expanding the Impact Scholarship - a $50,000 student tuition aid commitment. BTV Ignite has raised philanthropic funds to provide further access to vital tuition assistance.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger joined Burlington Fire Chief Steven Locke and other local leaders to announce the City has placed into service additional ambulance capacity. The City's third ambulance will be housed at Station 4 on North Ave in Burlington, and will be staffed by a team of two firefighters each day. The City estimates the new ambulance will be deployed to over 1,300 calls for assistance a year.

“This is a very exciting day for our Fire Department and the whole City team who have been working toward the deployment of this essential new resource. We heard from the community and from our dedicated Firefighters that it was time to expand our medical fleet once again, and I am pleased that with the support of voters we are able to deliver a third ambulance.”

Vermont Business Magazine Construction officials outlined a series of steps public officials and the construction industry should take to address the impacts of the built environment on climate change. The new initiativefrom the Associated General Contractors of America is designed to lessen the carbon footprint of the built environment while also making the process of building projects even more efficient.

“The construction industry is the delivery vehicle for building a greener, more climate friendly future,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Finding a way to ensure that what our members build is more efficient will have a significant impact on climate change.”

Chittenden County Forest News by Ethan Tapper Hi all, I was pleased to be able to showcase some of the work we've done at the Hinesburg Town Forest on WCAX's "Wildlife Watch" segment. You can watch the segment here and learn more about past and upcoming projects at the HTF at the links below.

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington College and Bennington Museum are thrilled to be among the inaugural recipients of the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative. Launched by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in partnership with Rocky Mountain Institute and Environment & Culture Partners, the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative advances the goal of carbon neutrality across the visual arts.

Vermont Business Magazine With conditions tightening in the traditional market, captive insurance formations are accelerating in Vermont, the largest US captive insurance company domicile.

During the first 6 months of 2021, 23 new captives were licensed in Vermont, up from 16 during the same period in 2020.

"The traditional market is in turmoil, and so there is significant increase here in forming new captives and modifying existing captives," said David Provost, deputy commissioner of captive insurance in the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation in Montpelier.

Vermont's captive growth is expected to continue.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday held the first markups of the Senate Appropriations Committee as Chairman, advancing the Agriculture, Energy and Water, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills through the Committee with strong bipartisan support.

Leahy said: “These bills make important investments in mitigating the climate crisis, our veterans, and our farmers. I’m also glad to announce that we have included more than $7 billion in emergency spending to address the devastating climate disasters that have wreaked havoc on crops, livestock, and communities across the country. I again want to thank my friend Vice Chairman Shelby and chairs Feinstein, Baldwin, and Heinrich and ranking members Hoeven, Boozman, and Kennedy for their work on these bills.”