Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), with Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and 16 other senators, Wednesday sent a letter to Phyllis K. Fong, the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to request an investigation into potential instances of suppression and alteration of scientific reports, documents, or communications produced by USDA.

Vermont Business Magazine The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced a public meeting to be held in Vernon to discuss the best practices and lessons learned associated with community and citizen advisory boards (“CABs”) associated with decommissioning plant activities, like those ongoing in Vernon relating to the decommissioning of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. The meetings are required under a provision secured by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) in the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act. The public meeting is tentatively expected to take place between August and October.

“Communities experiencing the safety and economic impacts of nuclear plant decommissioning deserve a role in shaping those decommissioning plans for nuclear reactors near them,” Sanders said. “This input is especially critical given the potential for non-operational plants to sit for decades before removal and decontamination.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan announced today that the State of Vermont has taken a major environmental action to protect Vermont’s drinking water and natural resources by filing two lawsuits against companies for the manufacturing and distribution of PFAS chemicals and PFAS-containing products in Vermont. The lawsuits name the 3M Company and EI du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) and related DuPont companies as the major chemical makers who manufactured and distributed PFAS chemicals and related products.

Vermont Business Magazine The Peck Company (NASDAQ:PECK), a leading commercial solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company, announced Wednesday an initial agreement to construct a portfolio of solar PV arrays generating 7 megawatts for one of its customers. This customer currently owns several hundred million dollars in solar assets and also has a backlog of several hundred million dollars in new projects where they need partners for EPC development, a core competency of The Peck Company.

The projected revenue from the portfolio of projects is approximately $17 million, and each project is subject to a customary EPC contract. The customer's named has not been publicized. The Peck Company will provide further updates on each specific contract.

Vermont Business Magazine The US House of Representatives last week approved a bipartisan bill authored by Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) that will protect Vermont seniors and others from abuse and neglect by bad actors in the Medicaid program. The bill was co-authored by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) and approved on a strong bipartisan vote of 371 to 46.

Under current law, state-based Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) are only authorized to investigate fraud and abuse that occurs in health care facilities. Welch’s legislation expands their authority to detect, investigate, and prosecute fraud and abuse in non-institutional settings as well. In most states, MCFUs are overseen by state attorneys general.

Vermont Business Magazine The Peck Company, a leading commercial solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company, on Tuesday provided an update to investors on the company’s business and strategic growth plan as a public company. Peck, formerly Peck Electric, was acquired by Jensyn Acquisition Corp of Freehold, NJ, on June 20. The Peck management team has assumed leadership of the now-publicly traded company and is based in South Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine Many species of wild bumblebees are in decline—and new research shows that diseases spread by domestic honeybees may be a major culprit. Several of the viruses associated with bumblebees’ trouble are moving from managed bees in apiaries to nearby populations of wild bumblebees—“and we show this spillover is likely occurring through flowers that both kinds of bees share,” says Samantha Alger, a scientist at the University of Vermont who led the new research.

Vermont Business Magazine The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) and the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) recently completed a tree planting at Billings Farm in Woodstock. A total of 112 trees were planted along the Ottauquechee River thanks to the help of 9 volunteers, including members of the Greater Upper Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited, Sustainable Woodstock, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the Ottauquechee River Group, and additional members of the community! These trees will help protect the Ottauquechee River by slowing rainwater runoff, capturing carbon dioxide, and improving water quality.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Parks is happy to announce an exciting new program geared towards helping campers and would-be campers enjoy cooking over a campfire at Vermont’s 55 beautiful state parks. All summer, we’ll be sharing creative recipes that can be prepared with minimal equipment, and which make use of the bounty of ingredients made and grown by the state’s farmers and food producers.

Vermont Business Magazine Starting July 1, 2019, an applicant for a generation facility within Vermont, including all net-metering facilities, must pay an application fee. The fee must be paid in advance of filing the application with the Public Utility Commission. An application to construct or modify a generation facility that is filed with the Public Utility Commission must include a form indicating that the fee has been paid. 

Vermont Business Magazine KeyBank has launched the Small Business Wellness Index, which measures the drivers, challenges, payment trends and financing needs of small business owners across the country. Data is drawn from KeyBank’s proprietary Small Business Wellness Review, a first-of-its-kind program driven by artificial intelligence, which guides small business owners through a comprehensive conversation about their business to identify their needs and offers industry-specific guidance and customized cash flow recommendations.

Vermont Business Magazine Demont & Associates, in partnership with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Northern New England (AFP-NNE), has opened nominations for a $5,000 college scholarship to a youth aged 10-23; the AFP-NNE Demont Scholarship for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy is available to Vermonters.  Robert Demont, President of Demont & Associates says, “We are delighted to recognize the efforts of an outstanding youth philanthropist with this scholarship award. We know that there are many very deserving kids doing inspirational work raising funds for many worthwhile programs in our region.” 

The recipient of this scholarship award will be chosen from a pool of nominations by a New England Region Philanthropy Committee comprised of development professionals working in the fields of education and youth services in Northern New England.