Current News

by Rob RoperFolks celebrated Earth Day this year with a “March for Science” around the nation. The marchers’ message is, ostensibly, that policy should be based on science and not things like emotion, morality, or politics. But is this really what they’re after? Or is this more of an attempt to legitimize their own emotions, morality, and politics by claiming for them the label of “science”?

It’s ironic that nationally and locally the science marchers’ most visible spokespeople, Bill Nye and Bill McKibben respectively, are not actually scientists (nor is Al Gore for that matter). McKibben is a journalist, and Nye got his big television break performing as a stand up comedian. Nye calling himself “the Science Guy” instead of “the Scientist” is kind of like the cereal Froot Loops using creative spelling to avoid a fraud lawsuit over the fact that there isn’t any real fruit in them.

Vermont Business Magazine In an address to the Brattleboro Area Chamber of CommerceMonday, Governor Phil Scott highlighted an opportunity for the state to realize up to $26 million in savings a year. The federal Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama put high valued health plans at risk of a Cadillac tax. The Vermont Education Health Initiative (VEHI) is transitioning to new plans, which are projected to cost substantially less than existing plans and will not be subjected to the federal penalty.

Vermont Business MagazineBrattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) and Community College of Vermont (CCV) are launching an accelerated program to prepare qualified candidates for jobs as Certified Medical Assistants. Enrollment in the one semester program will be limited to twenty participants. Classes will be held on the CCV Brattleboro campus, and all clinical aspects of the course work will be completed at BMH. As part of the joint initiative, BMH is providing full scholarships for eight successful applicants to the program. Scholarship recipients will have their CCV tuition covered and will be hired as Medical Assistants at BMH upon successful completion of the academic program and licensure exam.

Vermont Business Magazine BioTek Instruments continues to strengthen their commitment to sustainability by announcing the opening of their second solar facility. In addition to the company’s existing 500 kilowatt solar farm in Whiting, Vermont, a new, 88 kilowatt photovoltaic solar energy farm is now on line in Milton, Vermont. The new facility was developed in agreement with ABJ Property Management, LLC, and installed by Norris Brothers Solar Development, LLC.

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Peter Welch (D-VT), joined by a bipartisan group of 67 House colleagues, sent a letter to President Trump advocating for swift action to ensure Canada upholds dairy trade agreements.Last week, the president called out Canada’s dairy trade practices as unfair to US dairy farmers. However, the Canadian ambassador took umbrage with the entire US stance, noting that no new trade barriers have been put in place and that Canadaimports more dairy from the US than vice versa.

Vermont Business Magazine Members of the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance and Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced more progress towards their shared goal of eliminating homelessness in Chittenden County, with this year’s Point in Time count indicating a 12 percent drop in the number of homeless individuals. This progress includes a reduction in both the number of families experiencing homelessness and those who are chronically homeless. The 12% drop brings the overall decrease in homelessness to 45% over the past four years. The January count found 291 people in shelters, other temporary housing options, or completely unsheltered.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Monday released a 51-page summary of the fiscal year 2017 appropriations bill that totals $1.070 trillion in discretionary spending in compliance with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The bill funds the government through September 2017. Negotiators reached agreement late Sundy night.

In addition, it includes $8.2 billion of disaster relief and emergency funding related to natural disasters; $77.0 billion for Defense Overseas Contingency Operations, including a $15 billion supplemental, half of what President Trump requested; $16.5 billion for foreign assistance Overseas Contingency Operations, and $1.96 billion for program integrity.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont dairy workers will lead what they believe will be hundreds of supporters through Burlington in a march to Ben & Jerry’s flagship store on Church Street.Marchers are calling on the iconic ice cream company to end human rights abuses in its dairy supply chain by signing onto Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity program.The march will then head to the USfederal building, with recently-detained immigrant leader Enrique Balcazar leading denunciations of President Trump’s attacks on working people.

Where and When: Monday, May 1st, Burlington, VT

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Commission on Women (VCW) recently announced the addition of the Vermont Early Childhood Alliance and Let's Grow Kids to its Advisory Council. The Council is made up of organizations whose interests align with the Commission's mission to advance rights and opportunities for Vermont women and girls.

Leonine Public AffairsDespite the first year of divided power after six years of Democratic control, elected leaders avoided partisan differences for most of the session. There have been disagreements along the way but with near unanimous votes on the budget and the least controversial tax bill in recent memory, those differences have been minor. That all changed this week.

Vermont Business Magazine Trout habitat will be improved, water will be cleaner and invasive plants will be better controlled, thanks to funding from Vermont's 2017 Watershed Grant Program.The program, established by the legislature in 1998 and financed by a portion of the sales of the Vermont Conservation License Plates, is co-administered by Vermont Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Environmental Conservation. Grants to nonprofits and towns support both hands-on projects and education programs that improve aquatic habitat, water quality and flood resiliency.

Grants totaling $100,000 were awarded this year. Funded projects include:

* Culvert replacement and erosion control on a tributary of the Hoosic River in Pownal (Bennington County Regional Commission).

* Replacement of a culvert with a new bridge that will allow improved movement of fish and wildlife between Hall's Creek and Lake Memphremagog (Town of Derby).

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s statewide energy efficiency utility, Efficiency Vermont, has been named a 2017 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award winner. The award is given for continued leadership in environmental protection through superior energy efficiency achievements. Efficiency Vermont’s accomplishments were recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2017.

Efficiency Vermont, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2000, will be honored for its leadership in promoting energy efficient solutions to residential customers across Vermont. Key accomplishments in 2016 that led to this award include: