Current News

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The developers of the largest solar array in Vermont expect the project to begin selling electricity by the end of September. The project is being developed by Boston-based Greenwood Energy. According to its partner in the solar project, Brightfields Development LLC of Wellesley, MA, construction commenced in May on the 4.99 megawattsolar projectat theElizabeth Mine Superfund Site, which sits mostly in Strafford.

Vermont Business Magazine The Citizens for a Greater Bennington (CFGB), in partnership with Preservation Trust of Vermont (PTV) and the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC), are pleased to announce a $100,000 grant to support the Putnam Block Redevelopment Project. The CFGB Grant will be made through the Southwestern Vermont Hospital Foundation, and will leverage an additional $100,000 contribution from the Bank of Bennington.

Vermont Business MagazineGovernor Phil Scott today issuedExecutive Order 15-17, establishing the Governor’s Marijuana Advisory Commission, charged withrecommending a comprehensive approach to addressing health, safety, regulatory and infrastructure needs when considering legalized marijuana use. The commission and its three subcommittees will evaluate the experience of other states, credible research and available data to inform recommendations to the governor.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Donovan joined a coalition of 16 Attorneys General in filing suit Wednesday to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) grantees. The lawsuit, which was filed this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, details how the Trump administration has violated the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution by discriminating against DREAMers of Mexican origin, who make up 78 percent of DACA recipients; violated Due Process rights; and harmed States’ residents, institutions, and economies.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC) Board of Directors has named Jim Madej to serve as the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer. Madej comes to VEIC with decades of experience in the energy industry, including leadership experience in delivering energy efficiency programs and services to customers in his role as Chief Customer Officer at National Grid USA.

“Jim’s deep energy industry expertise and his proven track record of customer-focused leadership made him the ideal choice to lead VEIC in building on the success it has achieved in Vermont, Ohio, Washington D.C. and beyond in helping customers spend less on energy,” said Richard Cowart, Vice President of the VEIC Board of Directors.

Vermont Business Magazine Coffee Enterprises has announced a streamlining of its company operations and communications. All business, technical, and consulting services are now consolidated using the Coffee Enterprises company name. All web pages will now redirect automatically to www.coffeeenterprises.com. Coffee Enterprises said its goal is to better serve its clients and the coffee & tea industries more effectively by communicating with one voice.

Coffee Enterprises services include:

Vermont Business Magazine US Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) Wednesday re-introduced their legislation to extend a key nutrition program for school-aged children. The bipartisan Farm to School Act of 2017 will increase federal resources that bring fresh and nutritious local foods to schools across the country. Leahy, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is the author of the existing Farm to School program. Cochran is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and both senators are former Agriculture Committee chairs. Leahy and Cochran first partnered in 2015 to introduce the legislation.

​Vermont Business MagazineAs summer turns to fall, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra will cover the state from top to bottom for its Made in Vermont Statewide Tour. OnWednesday, September 20 at 7 pmthe orchestra will arrive in Randolph for the first day of the tour. “Performing in town halls is part of the VSO’s DNA. From the very beginning, when we started touring the state in 1934, we have been performing in Vermont’s public spaces and we are proud to continue this tradition with the first stop in Randolph.”

by Jonathan ALesser, PhDVermont, along with 19 other states, has a long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction mandate. The original mandate, signed into law in 2006, called for a 75% reduction below 1990 emissions levels by 2050. In 2011, then- Governor Shumlin raised the goal to a 90% reduction by 2050, something which the 2016 State Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP) discusses in detail.

Too bad the numbers don’t add up. Vermont’s mandate is much more than a requirement to supply consumers with electricity from renewable resources like wind and solar power. It will require virtually complete electrification of the Vermont economy to eliminate almost all fossil fuel consumption. Cars and trucks, oil- and gas-fired furnaces, industrial processes -virtually everything that now uses fossil fuels will need to be replaced with its electric counterpart.

Vermont Business MagazinePicking up trash out of a river may not sound like the most fun way to spend a few hours, but the hundreds of Vermonters who annually participate in river cleanups find cleaning our waterways both enjoyable and rewarding.This September, join the fun by volunteering to clean up your local river as part of Vermont’s official River Cleanup Month.

Vermont Business MagazineVermont’s annual auction of five moose hunting permits closed on August 10, with $30,761.50 taken in from the five winning bids. The auction helps fund Fish & Wildlife Department educational programs, such as the Green Mountain Conservation Camps for youths.

Bids do not include the cost of a hunting license ($26 for residents and $100 for nonresidents) and a moose hunting permit fee ($100 for residents and $350 for nonresidents). Winning bidders can choose to hunt in any one of Vermont’s Wildlife Management Units open for moose hunting.

The Fish & Wildlife Department held a lottery July 29, when 80 moose hunting permit winners were drawn from the more than 4,900 people who applied.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Gas is encouraging its small business and nonprofit customers to participate in its nationally recognized and award-winning energy efficiency program. The company’s Small Business Efficiency Program provides weatherization and incentives to smaller businesses looking to improve overall efficiency in their buildings and reduce their energy expenses. Fall is the perfect time for these organizations to schedule their free energy audit.