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​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.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Vermont Climate Action Commission will be hosting a series of public scoping sessions through the state in September and October to gather input and recommendations from Vermonters. The Commission hopes to hear people’s experiences in dealing with the effects of climate change, as well as their ideas for potential actions that the Commission could recommend to the Governor’s office.

The Climate Action Commission was formed by Governor Phil Scott to unify Vermont’s ambitious climate and economic goals. It is chaired by Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Deputy Secretary Peter Walke and co-chaired by Paul Costello, Executive Director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development. Other committee members come from a wide variety of fields in both the public and private sector, and represent business, energy, and environmental organizations.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is seeking volunteers who would like to become 'Let's Go Fishing' instructors so they can pass on Vermont's fishing tradition to the next generation of Vermonters. Also, its"Let's Go Fishing Program" will be holding two educational fishing clinics in September, both which are free and open to anglers of all ages and abilities. And F&W is at the midway point on completing a series of fishing access area improvement projects designed to enhance accessibility for anglers and boaters, including those with disabilities.

AccuWeather Global Headquarters AccuWeather reportslife-threatening conditions are expected to continue across the northern Caribbean as Category 5 Hurricane Irma barrels through intoThursday. "Irma is expected to bring devastating conditions across the Leeward Islands intoWednesdaynight," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said. Irma strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h)on Tuesday, becoming the strongest storm in the Atlantic Basin since Wilma in 2005.

The current track of Irma will put Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, in the brunt of the storm's rain and wind during this time. Impacts could also be felt across the far northern Windward Islands as well.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s housing stock is among the oldest in the nation. More than 70 percent of homes in the state were built before 1978 and are presumed to contain lead. To help property owners and landlords address lead exposure and protect the health of tenants and their children the Attorney General’s Office is launching a community-focused program to assist property owners who are landlords comply with Vermont’s lead safety laws.

Vermont Business MagazineNorthern Vermont AHEC has received a $2 million grant from the federal Office of Minority Health, Partnerships to Achieve Health Equity program to lead a three-state initiative in northern New England aimed at increasing the diversity of the health workforce.The project will begin in Vermont this fall for 9th through 12th grade students at Winooski and Burlington High Schools with the HERO (Health Education Resources Opportunity) program. HERO will offer science enrichment and health careers exploration in partnership with the UVM Larner College of Medicine. University of Vermont students and health care professionals will guide and encourage HERO participants as they prepare for college and career. Outreach to parents and families will be an important component of the program.

Vermont Business Magazine The bill provides $51.195 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $20.785 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations. The allocation is $10.7 billion above the president’s request as scored by CBO, but it is $1.9 billion below the fiscal year 2017 enacted level when factoring in fiscal year 2017 funding for famine relief but not the Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017.

US Senator Leahy Ranking Member (D-Vermont), Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, said:

“Chairman Graham has done a very good job with the allocation he was given. I thank him and his staff for working with me and my staff. Obviously, there are things in the bill I do not agree with – some I strongly disagree with – which is the nature of this process, but for the most part I support the choices he has made.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the allocation of $2.7 million in state tax incentives for 22 projects, supporting more than $53 million in downtown and village center construction and rehabilitation efforts. This includes nearly $300,000 for the renovation of two upper-floors in downtown Montpelier’s French Block. Vacant for more than 75 years this underutilized downtown building will be rehabilitated to create 18 affordable housing units.

“We have seen firsthand how investments in our downtowns and villages add to the vibrancy of communities large and small, while generating jobs and growing the economy,” Scott said. “Tax credits that reduce development costs, along with streamlined permitting in areas the state has designated for growth, are proven tools to create jobs and increase our tax base.”

For a complete list of projects, see below.