Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) is encouraging members to conserve energy on Friday, July 15, and Monday July 18, between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. when demand for electricity is expected to spike as a result of high temperatures throughout New England.

Vermont Business Magazine The Flexible Capital Fund announces the addition of Encore Renewable Energy to their socially responsible investment portfolio. The $400,000 of permanent working capital will enable Encore to hire new staff to support business development, engineering, and project management as they expand geographically, strengthen strategic environmental partnerships, and further develop financing partnerships at a critical growth juncture.

by Mike Faher/The Commons A wind turbine developer is defending the embattled Stiles Brook Wind proposal in the town of Windham, saying critics have relied on “many inaccuracies” and “false claims.” Iberdrola Renewables, which wants to build 28 turbines on a ridge in the towns of Windham and Grafton, issued a July 8 letter in which the company rebuts concerns about the project’s wildlife, water quality, flooding, and health impacts. The latter topic has spurred emotional debate often focused on low-frequency sound emitted by turbines. But, in the letter addressed to Windham officials, Iberdrola argues that there’s no credible evidence that the Stiles Brook project will cause injury to its neighbors.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources has received an application from Vermont Gas Systems for a Threatened and Endangered Species Taking Permit which would authorize transplanting and taking of the state-threatened "Harsh Sunflower" (Helianthus strumosus) on one property owned by Vermont Gas Systems in Monkton to allow installation of the Addison Gas Pipeline.

Vermont Business Magazine The East Central Vermont Telecommunications District (ECFiber) has reached an agreement with Joseph D Fail Engineering, Inc to provide design and engineering services for extending the ECFiber network 250 miles to serve all premises in West Windsor, Pittsfield, Pomfret, Barnard, Thetford, and Strafford. Fail Engineering has extensive experience in providing design and engineering services for fiber to the home (FTTH) networks in rural areas. That experience will be instrumental in moving ECFiber forward in nearly doubling the size our FTTH network in east central Vermont.

ECFiber file photo

Vermont Business Magazine Some 5,000 emergency responders will take part in Vermont’s largest ever emergency exercise later this month.  Individuals involved in emergency response on the local, state, and federal levels will be tested in the face of extreme circumstances as part of Vermont’s Vigilant Guard catastrophic emergency exercise. The simulation will play out in 50 locations throughout Vermont and include state agencies, local communities, 16 hospitals, the Burlington Airport, and the Vermont National Guard among many others.  Three years in the planning, its goal is to evaluate performance and identify gaps that may exist in the state’s response to a catastrophic event.

Vermont Business Magazine EPA will award additional grants of nearly $2.6 million in supplemental funding for communities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont to carry out cleanup and redevelopment projects at contaminated Brownfields properties. Vermont, with $850,000 will get the lionshare of the money. The projects will help communities create jobs while protecting people’s health and the environment.

The supplemental funding, ranging from about $200,000 to $500,000, will support an array of cleanup and redevelopment projects in the following New England locations:

Vermont Business Magazine - The People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Bank, announced today that it has awarded $5,000 to ReSOURCE, Easter Seals Vermont, and Camp Ta-Kum-Ta in South Hero.

Vermont Business Magazine - An equity crowdfunding portal for Vermonters, announces its first Invest Local campaign from Burlington Herb Clinic. Vermonters will have the opportunity to learn more about and invest in the Clinic via the Milk Money platform. The campaign marks the first Vermont Small Business Offering (VSBO) on Milk Money’s Vermont only platform giving Vermonters the opportunity to discover and invest in local businesses.

Vermont Business Magazine A few months ago, an upsetting story was making the rounds on social media: a woman with no maternity leave, the sole income earner in her family, journaled her return to work 20 days after giving birth. As mothers, and as women, we were saddened and angered by this story. How could this be happening in 2016 in the United States? Even more upsetting is the fact that this single story represents countless working mothers who are in the same or worse situations — no maternity leave, no job protection if they choose to take time off after welcoming a new baby, and certainly no paid leave to help support their growing family while they’re away from work.

Vermont Business Magazine In contrast to what he calls the misleading negative attacks of his primary opponent, Phil Scott today released a new 60-second web video reiterating his core principles and urging Vermonters to join his campaign to “make Vermont more affordable, the economy stronger and political campaigns an example for our children.” Scott opens the video by briefly addressing the tactics of his opponent, noting “what might pass for business as usual on Wall Street has never been in line with Vermont values.”  He goes on to say, “While my opponent’s misleading ads are disappointing, Vermonters know the truth.”

“I’m the candidate who knows what it’s like to live paycheck-to-paycheck while raising a family and working hard to grow a business and create jobs -- right here in Vermont,” Scott continues.

Vermont Business Magazine Although customer-reported monthly electric bills have fallen to their lowest levels in 10 years and overall satisfaction is on the rise, electric utility providers continue to struggle to match other industries in customer satisfaction, according to the JD Power 2016 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, released today. Green Mountain Power scored a 681, highest among midsized utilities in the East, and third overall in the East.