Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Enel Group’s new advanced energy services division Enel X, through its US demand response services company EnerNOC, Inc, has been awarded market commitments to deliver 157 MW of demand response resources in the Forward Capacity Market by the Independent System Operator for New England (ISO-NE). With this award, Enel also enters the demand response market of US states Connecticut and Vermont.

As a result, Enel’s virtual power plant in New England will increase by 50% year-over-year, reaching 157 MW for the 2021/2022 delivery period, from the previously secured 101 MW for the 2020/2021 period.

by Bill Schubart Soon, it’ll be March and Town Meeting will again be upon us (Tuesday March 6). Our venerable system of local government – where it’s still practiced – calls townsfolk together to debate and make decisions of local and global import with a mix of comity and comedy. The characters and issues vary from town to town, but there are some regulars one can count on seeing and hearing from.

I’m especially fond of the harumphers, those with the ageing teenage-pout who glower at the moderator with their arms firmly crossed on an ample bosom or chest. When recognized, their pronouncements are usually terse and glacially clear, after which they settle back into their harrumph posture with a “go ahead and top that!” look in their eye.

Vermont Business Magazine Hunters, landowners and anyone else interested in deer and moose should plan on attending one of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife public hearings being held in March and May. The hearings will include results of Vermont's 2017 deer and moose seasons and prospects for hunting next fall as well as an opportunity for people to provide their observations and opinions regarding deer and moose.

The hearings will also include a review of the proposed 2018 moose hunting season and an opportunity for the public to comment.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday, February 20, 2018 the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (the Agency or VAAFM) filed a proposed amendment to the Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) Rule with the Vermont Secretary of State (SOS). This amendment was filed pursuant to 6 V.S.A. §4810a(b), which required the Agency to amend the RAPs to include requirements for reducing nutrient contribution to waters of the State from subsurface tile drainage. The RAPs were most recently amended and became effective on December 5, 2016, introducing additional regulations for all types of agriculture to improve water quality throughout the State.

Modern tile drain system. State of Vermont photo.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, standing with environmental and community leaders, announced Tuesday a three-year environmental plan that prioritizes making Burlington a net-zero city, creating a stormwater authority and expanding efforts to combat climate change. The mayor presented the plan under the banner of his re-election campaign.

Mayor Weinberger presents his environmental plan Tuesday on the Waterfront. Courtesy photo.

The goals include:

Vermont Business Magazine Delivering on its new cadence of continuous innovation, Keurig Green Mountain, Inc has further expanded its line of Keurig brewers with the new Keurig K-Elite coffee maker. The K-Elite coffee maker blends premium finishes with programmable features to deliver the most beverage customization in any Keurig single cup coffee maker model in a bold, modern look, while offering a "strong" coffee setting.

by Secretary Anson Tebbetts, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets As legislators move into the second half of the session, efforts to improve the quality of water in Vermont continue. On the tables of legislative committees, a series of proposals address everything from funding to emergency action. These are healthy discussions, and they are not confined to the Golden Dome.

The Agency of Agriculture is working with farmers and stakeholders on a host of issues. As the Legislature does its work, farmers and stakeholders are doing theirs. Many people are working through water quality, contemporaneously. We are making progress.

Lake Carmi. ANR photo.

Vermont Business Magazine Are your New Year’s resolutions already in the rearview mirror? If so, you’re not alone, but you still have time to make good on at least one. NOFA Vermont is pleased to join other organizations and farms from around the country in raising awareness for the third annual CSA Day on February 23. People who are committed to eating healthy foods, supporting their local farmer, and being adventurous in the kitchen can make good on one of their resolutions by signing up for a spring or summer CSA now. A directory of farms in Vermont with CSAs is available online at nofavt.org/buydirect.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation (VTFPR) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Foods & Markets (VAAFM) report that emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive forest insect from Asia, has been detected in Vermont. Officials with the USDA Animal & Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed the identification of a beetle recently found in northern Orange County, Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Tuesday met with five current and former students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who traveled to Washington this week to speak to legislators and work to prevent another tragedy like the mass shooting they experienced at their school February 14.

Vermont Business Magazine Iowa is the best state in the country, according to the second annual 2018 Best States study from US News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and civic journalism. US News evaluated all 50 states across a range of criteria, from education and health care to infrastructure and the economy, to capture how states best serve their citizens. Vermont ranked 9th overall, with its best sub-categories being Health Care, Opportunity and Crime & Corrections. It lagged in Economy and Infrastructure and was only average in Quality of Life.