Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) released the 2021 Environmental Common Agenda, a guide to this year’s top legislative priorities for Vermont’s environment and communities. This year’s Agenda gives special consideration to the myriad challenges currently facing our state.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Fund of the Vermont Electric Co-op (VEC) recently awarded a grant to the local non-profit Jenna’s Promise to support recovery from substance use disorder. The grant will go toward upgrading the kitchen at Jenna’s House - a center point for the community in Johnson - to better host community events, offer cooking classes to the community, and help to aid people in their recovery journey.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is making it simple and affordable for business customers to install electric vehicle chargers for the public and their employees with a new Workplace Charging pilot program. The turnkey package includes the Level 2 charger, software, installation, project management, maintenance and financing. The cost could be as low as $35 per month for a single charger.

Vermont Business Magazine With transportation now the largest source of US greenhouse gas emissions, several states, including Vermont, are taking comprehensive steps to help enable residents and businesses to use and charge electric vehicles, yet many others have done little to reduce barriers, according to a first-of-its-kind report released Wednesday by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University has been designated the lead institution of the nation’s Senior Military Colleges in creating a Department of Defense Cyber Institute program through a recently awarded two-year, $19.5 million grant. The six schools, Norwich University, Virginia Military Institute, The Citadel, Virginia Tech, University of North Georgia, and Texas A&M, will create a pipeline of qualified cyber professionals in various critical work roles.

Vermont Business Magazine Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint issued the following statement today on abhorrent racist language during break in Transportation Committee on Wednesday: "Late last night it came to my attention that during a break in the Senate Transportation Committee’s morning meeting, a witness could be seen and heard uttering racial epithets."

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont resident Gregory Bombard yesterday filed a lawsuit challenging what it called a retaliatory arrest by a Vermont State Police Trooper in February 2018. Represented by the ACLU of Vermont and cooperating counsel Gary Sarachan, Bombard asserts that the trooper involved abused his authority and violated Bombard’s First and Fourth Amendment rights.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently released the Vermont Clean Water Initiative 2020 Performance Report. The Report summarizes how the state’s $194 million investment in water quality over the past five years is paying off by improving water quality in Vermont’s rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

Vermont Business Magazine Artist Rob Mullen raised over $1,600 for the Vermont Wildlife Coalition (VWC) and over $700 for the Green Mountain Club by hiking 273 miles of the Long Trail this summer, painting along the way and selling his art to help raise the donations.

Mullen made the trek over the course of four weeks, starting from the Canadian border near North Troy, VT and finishing his journey in Williamstown, MA. His trip garnered national attention along the way.

“While profoundly different from my usual northern Canadian and Arctic Alaska canoe trips, getting to know my home state in this intimate and challenging way, and the people I met, made this one of the most incredible journeys I’ve gone on”, said Mullen. “Rediscovering backpacking and having the opportunity to fundraise for two incredibly important organizations by combining two passions makes me feel endlessly lucky.”

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan wants to hear from young Vermonters about their thoughts on the environment. For the first time ever, the Attorney General’s Office is holding an Earth Day Essay Challenge and asking 5^th and 6^th graders all around Vermont to submit essays on the environment.

“Young Vermonters are in touch with our environment,” said Attorney General Donovan. “They enjoy time spent outdoors and they care andworry about what is happening to the environment. I look forward to reading these Earth Day essays and hearing directly from our future environmental leaders on what is important to them.”

Senator Patrick Leahy For more than a year, our country has been in the grip of an unprecedented health and economic catastrophe. It was January of last year when the first confirmed case of COVID-19 arrived in our country. Since then, more than 444,000 of our fellow citizens have died, more than 26 million have been infected, and millions have lost their jobs. And every day there are thousands more deaths.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance (VRJA) announced a plea sent to Governor Phil Scott on January 15, 2021 to address the racial and environmental issues related to the Champlain Parkway Project.