Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued Executive Order 11-17, establishing the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC), a task force to strengthen and expand Vermont’s $2.5 billion outdoor recreation economy. The governor announced the initiative at a press conference Thursday, which highlighted the decades-long work of land managers, nonprofit recreation and conservation groups, and outdoor recreation businesses to build this important industry.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will deliver the commencement remarks during Champlain Valley Union High School’s graduation early afternoon on Friday at the University of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine A Utah firm is the latest national solar firm to enter the Vermont market. Vivint Solar, Inc, (NYSE: VSLR), a leading full-service residential solar provider, today announced that its residential solar energy systems are now available toVermontresidents.Vermontranks number 2 on the Union of Concerned Scientists' Clean Energy Momentum State Ranking, and is noted for leading the country in clean energy jobs per capita and for its carbon reduction target.Vermonthas committed to attain 90 percent of its energy from renewable energy sources by 2050.Vermontresidents who wish to install solar energy systems can currently interconnect to the grid under traditional net metering.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont skier visits finished this past season at nearly 4 million, well over the previous season's disappointment of 3.2 million. Friends and supporters of the Vermont ski and snowboard industry gathered at Killington Resort for the Vermont Ski Areas Association’s 48th Annual Meeting Wednesday evening. Alpine and Nordic members, marketing partners and associate members were among those who celebrated the 2016-17 comeback season.

Vermont Business Magazine The Public Service Department today announced the next meeting of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel will be held on Thursday, June 22, 2017, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Governor Hunt House, 322 Governor Hunt Road in Vernon.The Panel will receive presentations from AREVA and Burns & McDonnell, NorthStar’s partners in the Vermont Yankee decommissioning.

Representatives from Entergy and the State of Vermont will provide updates on the decommissioning activities at Vermont Yankee. In addition, the Vermont Public Service Department will provide a status report on the Certificate of Public Good petition that Entergy and NorthStar have filed with the Vermont Public Service Board.

Vermont Business MagazineVermont Attorney General TJDonovan and four Vermont state agencies led a coalition of four northeastern states in filingCommentson the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) proposed decommissioning rulemaking. The States contend that the proposed rules fail to take into account the interests of states, like Vermont, which are home to nuclear power plants. The States suggest specific changes that would ensure rules to protect the health, safety, environmental, and economic interests of host communities during the decommissioning process.

Vermont Business Magazine BioTek Instruments, based in Winooski, continues to strengthen its commitment to sustainability by joining the over 1,200 governors, mayors, businesses, investors, and colleges and universities from across the US who have voiced their intent to continue to ensure the US remains a global leader in reducing carbon emissions. By declaring that ‘we are still in,’ BioTek and the other signatories are putting the best interests of their constituents, customers, students and communities first while assuring the rest of the world that American leadership on climate change extends well beyond the current federal government.

The science is clear. The planet’s environment is changing, and this is largely due to human activity. It is also clear that the impact on earth’s inhabitants, including people, will be negative. The only question is the magnitude of the impact, and exact timing.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center has removed traditional “visiting hours” limitations in favor of giving patients control over who comes to see them, and the timing of those visits. Research indicates patient outcomes improve when they are allowed to choose how and when their loved ones can be present and involved in their care. Former patients played a key role in developing the new Welcoming Policy as members of the Patient- and Family-Centered Care Steering Committee. More than 100 community members serve as patient and family advisors at the UVM Medical Center, helping to develop improvements in care that are grounded in understanding the patients’ point of view.

Senator Patrick Leahy The budget submission from the Department of Health and Human Services would reduce discretionary spending by nearly $8 billion – that is a 12 percent cut. This includes cuts to virtually every agency under HHS, including a 17 percent cut to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 21 percent cut to the National Institutes of Health, and a 23 percent cut to mental health programs in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This budget also targets women’s health by discriminating against providers that serve low-income women, and by eliminating funding for teen pregnancy prevention. And it would leave people in the cold, by eliminating the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) — a program thousands of Vermont families depend upon year after year.

Vermont Business Magazine Be alert. Be patient. Be kind. That’s the message state officials are sending to Vermont drivers this season, as farmers return to the roads with tractors and heavy equipment. The Agencies of Agriculture, Transportation, and Department of Public Safety have teamed up to create a new public safety message that reminds Vermonters to take extra care on the roads. They are sharing the PSA with Vermonters on social media, in an effort to build awareness for rural road safety.

“Farmers are working hard to grow our economy, and keep Vermont beautiful,” according to Anson Tebbetts, Vermont’s Secretary of Agriculture. “Sometimes they need a little extra patience and care from fellow drivers – let’s give it to them.”

Vermont Business MagazineThe Energy Co-op of Vermont, a fuel oil and home efficiency services cooperative with headquarters in Colchester, Vermont, announced today that John Quinney will retire as General Manager at the end of 2017 following the selection of a new General Manager."Since I started with the Energy Co-op in 2001, our mission has been to help Vermonters make their homes more comfortable, healthy and energy-efficient," says Quinney. "I'm proud of our unique position as a full-service fuel oil dealer that uses our cooperative business model to help our members make their homes more energy efficient and cut their fossil fuel use."

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Breakfast on the Farm comes to Fairmont Farm this Saturday in East Montpelier.This free, public event includes a Vermont-style pancake breakfast featuring local products, self-guided tours of the farm including 15 educational stations, and a peek into the life and business of dairy farming in Vermont. Media are invited to see first-hand how the farm cares for their cows, their community, employees and the environment. And, even see a calf being born! A second 2017 Breakfast on the Farm event will be held on July 22 at Blue Spruce Farm in Bridport.

WHO:

1,000 visitors expected, agricultural leaders, educators and industry representatives including: