Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In a win for Vermont water quality, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit (DC Circuit Court) has rejected the hydropower dam company Morrisville Water & Light’s (MWL) challenge in which MWL argued that the Agency of Natural Resources violated a provision of the federal Clean Water Act in their relicensing of the Lamoille River Basin Project. This major decision strongly clarifies that when a utility voluntarily agrees that more time is needed to address issues related to Water Quality (401 Certificate) the state is not intentionally delaying a decision, and the utility can no longer use this argument to stymie the hydropower dam relicensing process.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Todd Hoyte, 54, of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, with making interstate threats and stalking. Hoyte was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on April 1, 2025, in Saint Thomas. Hoyte initially appeared in federal court in the U.S. Virgin Islands where he was ordered detained. Hoyte left numerous voicemails for Victim-1, who worked in Vermont. The voicemails which were harassing, threatening, and intimidating, were made from outside of Vermont. Hoyte left the voicemails on Victim-1’s work phone, Victim-1’s voicemail box, and the voicemail box of the Vermont Department of Public Service. The voicemails included threats to injure Victim-1. 

Vermont Business Magazine Breeze Airways, the premium leisure carrier connecting underserved cities across the U.S., today debuted new nonstop seasonal service from Leahy Burlington International Airport BTV to Charleston, S.C. with fares starting from $59 one-way. The new route will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays. Breeze began flying in Burlington in February 2024 and has since grown to five nonstop routes to popular destinations like Orlando, Raleigh-Durham, and Tampa. 

Vermont Business Magazine A testament to its global impact in environmental law and policy, Vermont Law and Graduate School has received its largest-ever donation — $10 million. An anonymous international foundation dedicated to solving environmental challenges will award VLGS this impactful gift over a three-year period to reinforce and grow the school’s expertise in agriculture and food systems and animal protection policy. In addition, the funding will advance a new aquaculture project. With a focus on research and advocacy, this endeavor aims to examine and tackle the environmental implications of aquaculture.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State University (VTSU) President Dr. David Bergh has announced his intention to retire at the end of the next academic year and the conclusion of his current contract on June 30, 2026. His retirement will mark the culmination of a nearly 30-year career in higher education, including over two decades of dedicated service to the Vermont State Colleges System. Bergh took the helm of Vermont State University (VTSU) as interim president following the planned departure of current chief executive and former Vermont Agency of Human Services Secretary Michael K Smith in September 2023. Smith himself was thrust into service after Parwinder Grewal tendered his resignation and left in April 2023 before the new university formally began operating on July 1, 2023. Whoever follows Bergh will be the fourth VTSU leader in just over three years.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) announces a new grant made possible through the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation. With total funding of $1,750,000, the Organic Dairy Product Promotion (ODPP) Grant will make it easier for youth-based centers to serve regionally produced USDA-certified organic dairy products to students across the Northeast.  

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The United States Court of International Trade ruled Wednesday that the Trump Administration cannot use emergency powers to institute tariffs, saying that power lies with Congress alone. The court, in a unanimous decision, ordered the tariffs halted. On Thursday the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted the Trump administration’s request to temporarily pause the lower-court ruling that struck down most of the tariffs, thus reinstating them. The administration told the court that it might seek “emergency relief” from the Supreme Court. After the initial ruling by the trade court, the White House in a statement said that an economic state of emergency exists now that allows the president to impose tariffs. The plaintiffs in the case opposing the tariffs include Burlington-based Terry Precision Cycling, and four other small US businesses, as well as several states, including the State of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Keeping a small flock of chickens at home to provide eggs and meat has become increasingly popular, but many first-time, small-scale poultry farmers are discovering that several species of wildlife like the taste of chicken as much as we do. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department urges poultry owners to use electric fencing and follow other precautions to protect their birds from predation. Comeau says bears require a significant amount of effort to deter once they have learned to feed on chickens and their food. She says it is important that Vermonters take a more proactive approach and protect chickens before they have a problem.

by Joshua Brown, UVM A new UVM-led study shows that wildlife underpass tunnels dramatically reduce deaths of frog, salamanders and other amphibians migrating across roads. Frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians around the world face mounting threats from a devastating fungus, climate change, habitat loss—and road mortality. Among these, roads pose a uniquely immediate danger by cutting through critical migration corridors, allowing vehicles to crush millions of animals each year. Now, a new, first-of-its-kind study offers powerful evidence that a simple intervention—wildlife underpass tunnels—can dramatically reduce these amphibian deaths and help preserve ecosystems.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Congressional Delegation, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont-At-Large) on Wednesday pushed back on the Trump Administration’s plans to eliminate the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and terminate employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who distribute the funding. The Delegation previously called on Secretary of HHS Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to immediately reinstate the staff of the Division of Energy Assistance at HHS and disburse funding to states for LIHEAP. They have yet to receive a reply. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.09 per gallon today, up 1 cent from a week ago and a month ago, and down 49 cents/g from a year ago. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.80/g while the highest was $3.19/g, a difference of 39.0 cents per gallon. Prices are lowest in Windham ($3.01/g) and Windsor ($3.02/g) counties and highest in Lamoille ($3.18/g), Essex ($3.20/g) and Grand Isle ($3.20/g). The national average price of gasoline did not decline as much as predicted during the holiday weekend, where it was anticipated to fall to near $3 per gallon. As of today, the national average is $3.16, down 3 cents/g from last week, unchanged from last month and stands 41 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) urged the Trump Administration to drop its misguided plan to cut homebuilding tax credits in the midst of a housing crisis. The lawmakers urged the administration to reconsider its preliminary Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget request, which would completely eliminate funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) HOME Investment Partnership Program. “Many households are contributing more than half of their income to rent, leaving less for other needs like health care, groceries, or saving for emergencies. For-profit developers also struggle to build entry-level or middle-income housing, resulting in a focus on high-end construction with units unaffordable to working families,” wrote the Senators. “Now is the time for strong federal support for HOME and the Housing Trust Fund to close financing gaps and build more homes.”