Current News

Vermont Business MagazineThe Attorney General and the Vermont Human Rights Commission have released their Report onAct 54 - Racial Disparities in State Systemsto the Joint Justice Legislative Oversight Committee.Section 3 of Act 54charges the Attorney General, together with the Human Rights Commission and interested stakeholders, with developing a strategy to address racial disparities within the state systems of education, labor and employment, access to housing, healthcare, and economic development.The over-arching theme was that in order for Vermont to successfully address and reduce racial disparities, it will need to change the underlying culture of our state with regard to race.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Public Utility Commission today approved Green Mountain Power’s rate increase of 5.02 percent for 2018. An average homeowner will see his electric bill go up about $5 a month (the average bill now is $97 and it will increase to $102). GMP and the Public Service Department had worked out a memorandum of understanding in early November that settled on a slightly higher rate than GMP’s original request of 4.98 percent by eliminating three capital projects that would have generated revenues for the Colchester-based utility. GMP is the largest utility in the state. The new rates will increase total revenues for GMP by $29.8 million, with residential accounting for $12.9 million of that.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) voted unanimously to approve OneCare Vermont’s $620 million 2018 Accountable Care Organization (ACO) budget. The budget was approved with a series of conditions that the ACO must meet to better ensure that quality improvement and cost containment efforts are successful. The Board also voted unanimously to submit a Medicare rate trend factor of 3.5 percent for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) approval, resulting in a blended rate increase, inclusive of Medicaid and commercial insurance, of less than 3.0.

This new wellness program called "All-Payer" willcover an estimated 120,000 Vermonters, or about 20 percent of the population, beginningJanuary 1, 2018. The idea is by keepingpeople healthier, there will be less chronic disease, fewer major health events, and ultimately a healthier population with resultant lower costs.

Vermont Busines Magazine The 2018 Burlington Housing Trust Fund (BHTF) grant awards were announced today. This year, the fund provided $310,455 in projects and capacity funds to projects that will help create or preserve over 70 affordable homes in Burlington through Cathedral Square and the North Avenue Co-op and will support capacity at Champlain Housing Trust, COTS, Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity, and HomeShare Vermont.

Mayor Miro Weinberger, City Councilor Adam Roof, and Community and Economic Development Office Director Noelle MacKay and community leaders announced the recipients of the 2018 awards. Councilor Roof and Director MacKay are members of the BHTF Administrative Committee that makes the awards.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Business Roundtable announced that it has hired Mary Anne Sheahan of Shelburne, as Executive Director of the Vermont Talent Pipeline Management Program (VTPM). “The Roundtable and its VTPM partners around the state are very excited about this important next step toward the full realization of our program, which will improve alignment of employer needs with education and workforce programs, and grow Vermont’s economy,” said Roundtable President, Lisa Ventriss.

Vermont Business MagazineWith interest in legal, non-psychoactive hemp and CBD products growing rapidly, and the explosive growth of legal hemp cultivation, processing, and products being made in Vermont, Heady Vermont presentsCBD 101: Cannabidiol for Winter Sports Athletes and Weekend Warriors.The inaugural event will take place onSaturday, January 20, 2018atBurke Mountain Hotel and Conference Center, and will be part member ski day, part farmers market, and directly support hemp education and understanding, as well as spotlight the local, legal, and fast-growing Vermont hemp industry and the pioneering farmers and small businesses leading the way.

Vermont Business MagazineA.M. Besthas affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “bbb-”forMVP Health Plan, Inc.,MVP Health Services Corp.andMVP Health Insurance Company(all domiciled in Schenectady, NY) (collectively referred to asMVP Group). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. Concurrently, A.M. Best has withdrawn the ratings as the company has requested to no longer participate in A.M. Best’s interactive rating process.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Attorney General’s Office announced it has reached a settlement with a Berkshire, Vermont farm to resolve claims relating to agricultural water quality. In July 2016, the silage leachate pond at Pleasant Valley Farms of Berkshire, LLC discharged into the nearby Godin Brook. The leachate discharge flowed at least 7,200 feet downstream toward the Missisquoi River. Godin Brook is considered impaired for nutrients and outlets in Missisquoi Bay, which is impaired for phosphorus and has one of the highest concentrations of phosphorus of any segment of Lake Champlain.

AccuWeather Global HeadquartersAccuWeather reportsseveral storm systems will impact the central and eastern United States during the days leading up to Christmas and will determine who will and will not experience a white Christmas. In addition to bringing the chance of a white Christmas to some areas, travel may be hindered by the storms. A white Christmas in the USis defined as having an inch or more of snow on the ground on the morning ofDecember25.

"The greatest chance of a white Christmas will be across the Midwest, Great Lakes, northern New England and the Rockies," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said.

Vermont Business MagazineVermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) has earned high-level health and safety recognition from the Vermont Department of Labor after a rigorous review of company operations and management. The certification comes through the Green Mountain Voluntary Protection Program, which is administered by the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA). The program is the state version of the federal Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

by Don Rendall, CEO, Vermont Gas Systems The Holiday Season is a time to say thank you, to reflect on the year ending and to look forward to the promise of the New Year to come. At Vermont Gas, we want to thank our 51,000 customers for your loyalty and trust. To our new communities, Middlebury and Vergennes, and the nearly 1,000 new Vermont families and businesses who chose Vermont Gas in 2017, thank you for welcoming us this year. We’re excited about the future and more committed than ever to delivering a superior customer experience. What that means for you is safe, reliable, affordable and clean energy, easy and convenient service, and efficient ways to save money and reduce emissions.

Vermont Gas customers have chosen the most affordable energy service around. Apples-to-apples, customers who choose Vermont Gas service are paying 20% less than their neighbors using heating oil prices, and 50% less than those heating with propane.

Vermont Business MagazinePaul Fleckenstein, Energy Co-op of Vermont's Efficiency Program Manager, has been awarded Healthy Homes Evaluator (HHE) certification from theBuilding Performance Institute.A Healthy Home Evaluator assesses home-based environmental health and safety hazards and provides a prioritized list of recommendations to address those hazards. Since 2014, Paul has done 300 in-home energy audits and has supervised 120 energy upgrades that resulted from energy audit recommendations.