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by Jeff Pecor There’s no denying that small business plays a vital role in Vermont’s economy – but what often gets overlooked is how important small business is to the culture of the holiday season in the Green Mountain state. Each year, we depend greatly on the local small business community to usher in the holidays, providing a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and tastes that bring to life the joy and wonder that’s synonymous with this time of year.  From the street vendor serving up the sweet smell of kettle corn, to the ice carver chipping away at our imagination, small business is an important underpinning to our holiday experience.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department has added a Maine wind farm to its renewable generation portfolio. The 17-turbine Hancock Wind Project went online yesterday for commercial operation and will supply BED with 13.5 megawatts of electricity, or 9 percent of its energy needs. The Hancock Wind farm has a total capacity of 51 megawatts and is located in rural Hancock County, Maine. BED's stated goal is to source 100 percent of its power from renewable generation. While it now either buys or produces about 91 percent renewable energy, it sells much of its own production (hydro, biomass, solar) as Renewable Energy Credits or RECs to reduce customer rates. The after-REC total was just over 20 percent in 2015.

Vermont Business Magazine In a brief statement, the office of US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) said he had an outpatient procedure today to remove a small basal-cell carcinoma from his cheek. The procedure, which lasted about an hour, was completed successfully, according to the statement. Sanders returned to work after the procedure and, later, took a plane home to Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Gas is warning its 50,000 customers about a bill payment phone scam. In a wave of calls taking place over the last two days, customers received a call saying they have not paid their bill and they should call an 800-number to pay immediately or risk having their natural gas turned off. These calls are not from Vermont Gas and the number to call is not an authorized Vermont Gas number. Vermont Gas works with customers and does not demand credit card information over the phone. If a customer receives a call like this, they should call Vermont Gas at (802) 863-4511 and speak directly with one of our customer service representatives.

Further, customers receiving such a call are encouraged to report this scam by contacting the Vermont Attorney General’s Office Consumer Assistance Program at 800.649.2424.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets’ (VAAFM) newly effective Required Agricultural Practices Rule will continue a 20-year winter management requirement for all farms: between December 15 and April 1, no manure or other agricultural wastes (compost, spoiled feed, other wastes) may be spread on fields throughout Vermont.

This annual ban is part of an overall strategy to protect our working landscape and natural resources, as outlined in Vermont’s Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs). The Agency works closely with farmers across the state to ensure the RAPs are understood and enforced.  Manure spreading is a common practice in Vermont agriculture which enriches the soil for production and helps manage animal waste.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Department of Energy (DOE)  issued a Presidential Permit December 5 for the New England Clean Power Link, a 1,000 MW buried electric transmission line that will connect New England with Eastern Canada. It is being developed by TDI New England. The plan calls for it to run nearly 100 miles from the Quebec border down Lake Champlain and then underground another 50 miles to a substation in Ludlow. At this point, there are no contracts between TDI and Vermont utilities to buy power. The expectation, however, is that an increase in power supply in the region could stabilize electric rates. The project is expected to be in service in 2019, at a cost of approximately $1.2 billion.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power is partnering with a Kentucky firm to lower power costs for appliances plugged into the Internet. GMP anticipates that customers will save money, reduce carbon emissions, and use more renewables. GMP will use Virtual Peaker Inc’s proprietary software to work with customers to share access to Internet-based appliances and devices. GMP can change those devices into energy-saving modes, which will reduce grid demand and lower costs for all customers. GMP’s goal is to have over 1,000 devices engaged over 18 months.

GMP said in a statement that it used the Virtual Peaker platform first as a small pilot project over six months, and after "great results" the project has moved to the next phase.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development has issued $464,000 in Municipal Planning Grant awards to 38 communities across Vermont. This year’s Municipal Planning Grants range from $3,159 to $20,000, with total requests exceeding $780,000. Competitively awarded, 69 total applications were reviewed. Winning projects ranged from $3,159 to $20,000 and included updating local regulations to better serve the farm and forest economy in Berkshire, a rural town at the Canadian border, to improving parking conditions in downtown Brattleboro.

Municipal Planning Grants support local planning and community revitalization initiatives. Their intent is to build strong communities and improve Vermont’s quality of life. Grants are awarded annually and administered by the DHCD. Since 1998, the program has provided over $11 million to 234 cities and towns.

Vermont Business Magazine Lower unemployment, increased high school graduation rates and a drop in violent crime, among other factors, drove multiple years of increased opportunity in the US, with Vermont achieving the highest score. But the nation's Opportunity Score remained unchanged since last year, according to the 2016 Opportunity Index. Poverty, wages and disconnected youth rates improved since the 2015 Index, but inequality has increased in 45 states and civic engagement weakened.

The annual Index, developed jointly by Measure of America and Opportunity Nation, measures 16 economic, educational and civic indicators that expand or constrict access to economic mobility. The Index ranks each state and grades more than 2,700 counties with an Opportunity Score.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont state game wardens arrested Nicholas Robert, 29, of Fairfield, Vermont on December 6 and charged him with four counts of taking deer during closed season and hunting deer with bait. Game Warden Dustin Snyder received a tip of several, potentially illegal, deer hanging in a tree in the woods in Fairfield. Warden Snyder investigated and located three illegally taken antlerless deer hanging from a tree. He also discovered the deer had been killed with a small caliber rifle, and he found where four deer had been killed near a bait pile and elevated shooting shack.

The owner of the shack, Nicholas Robert, was interviewed and confessed to killing the four antlerless deer with the use of bait. The fourth deer, killed with a muzzleloading rifle, was located in a barn on the property. Robert did not have an antlerless deer permit for the 2016 muzzleloader deer season.

Vermont Business Magazine The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Watch for areas of central and northeast Vermont Thursday afternoon into Friday morning. Wind chills in the Watch area could reach as low as 35-below zero. Other areas of Vermont outside the Watch area could experience wind chills colder than 20-below. These temperatures have the potential to pose a danger to health and property. Hypothermia, frostbite, and other hazards are a concern in these conditions and precautions are advised to ensure the safety of individuals and property.

The Vermont Department of Public Safety is suggesting the following actions and take any steps necessary to keep yourself and your family safe.

Vermont Business Magazine Peak Resorts , the parent company of Mount Snow, announced Tuesday the release of $52 million in EB-5 funding from escrow. The funds – which were raised for the upcoming West Lake Snowmaking Project and the new base lodge for Carinthia Parks at Mount Snow – will be utilized to continue construction of the West Lake Project, with work on the new base lodge at Carinthia Parks scheduled to begin in 2017.