Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today, US Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called on the US Department of the Interior to provide robust federal funding to support the protection of the diverse plant, fish, and wildlife species in the Silvio O Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. In a letter to Secretary Sally Jewell of the Department of the Interior, the senators urged the Department to continue funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and to prioritize the Conte Refuge – which is of great environmental and recreational importance but is in need of more than $14 million for necessary upkeep and improvement projects. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) did not sign the letter.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced the appointment of Fire Chief Steven Locke as the City’s next Chief Engineer of the Burlington Fire Department. Chief Locke comes to the City of Burlington following more than 20 years of service with the Hartford, Vermont Fire Department, including seven years as Fire Chief, three years as the President of the Vermont Career Fire Chiefs Association, and currently five months of experience serving as Interim Town Manager of Hartford. Mayor Weinberger will request the City Council’s approval of this appointment at its December 21, 2015 meeting. If approved, Chief Locke will start his service for Burlington on February 1, 2016. Deputy Chief Peter Brown is currently serving as the Interim Fire Chief following former Chief Seth Lasker’s retirement on October 31, 2015, and will continue until February 1.

by Mike Faher/The Commons By their own admission, members of the four-state Connecticut River Valley Flood Control Commission aren’t used to having visitors or lengthy discussions at their meetings. So their December 4 meeting was an anomaly as the commission’s tiny boardroom in Greenfield, Mass., was packed with three Townshend residents and two state lawmakers concerned about chronically low tax-loss payments and perilously low water levels at Townshend Dam. There was some good news for the Vermont visitors: The commissioners agreed to call in the US Army Corps of Engineers, which operates Townshend Dam, to discuss Townshend Lake maintenance issues and other questions.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police is reporting that at approximately 8:20 pm on December 9, 2015, the Northfield Police Department received a report of some type of explosion at a residence on the corner of North St and Maple Ave in the town of Northfield. Further reports indicated that there were injuries, and the explosion occurred within a multiple-unit apartment building. The Northfield Police and Fire Departments responded, as did Troopers from the Middlesex barracks. Neighboring homes were evacuated and the Vermont State Police Bomb Squad was called to assist and render the area safe. Upon initial investigation, a homemade explosive device was discovered. The Vermont State Police bomb squad rendered the device safe, and after a sweep of the scene, declared the area clear of any further danger. At that time, evacuated residents were contacted and advised that they could return home.

by Deb Markowitz, Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources The last time I was in Paris, the temperature was unbearable. The country was suffering through a record-setting heat wave that caused the deaths of over 100 people. Needless to say, our visit to this beautiful and historic city was cut short, but strong memories of the trip stayed with me. Such deadly heat waves, as well as floods, fires and droughts, have become common across the globe. The impacts of climate change are already here, and cities, states, and countries are struggling to address the consequences.

VT Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz, second from the left, participates in COP21. Courtesy photo

Vermont Business Magazine Dynapower Company, the global leader in energy storage inverters, is closing out 2015 with a record 75-megawatt (MW) backlog of orders for its energy storage inverter family. The company also passed 250 MW of total installed systems, strengthening its position as the industry's leading supplier of bi-directional inverters for energy storage applications. The backlog is due in part to the company's agreement with Tesla, under which Dynapower supplies 250 kW inverters as part of Tesla's Powerpack Commercial battery system for large commercial and utility customers. It's also driven by record US storage deployments this year, which have already exceeded 100 MW as of the third quarter, according to a GTM Research and Energy Storage Association report.

Vermont Busness Magazine Northern Power Systems Corp (TSX: NPS), a next generation renewable energy technology company based in Barre, has announced that substantial technology-driven operational improvements to its flagship Northern Power 100 kW wind turbine platform have been demonstrated to materially decrease the delivered Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of wind power produced by its turbines.

"The current LCOE makes the Northern Power platform even more affordable for farmers, local businesses and on-site generation users trying to limit the ever increasing cost of electricity," said Reinout Oussoren, VP of Global Sales. "Small wind is now an even more viable alternative for comme rcial and industrial users."

Vermont Business Magazine The Golden Eagle Resort in Stowe, VT is making its impact on the community with a donation of furniture which was originally planned to be discarded following an extensive redecoration. The furniture, which includes credenzas, pictures, lighting, mirrors and night stands, was donated to the Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity for sale in its ReStore. In making the announcement The Golden Eagle Resort’s General Manager Andrew Cournoyer said, “We are pleased to make this donation to an organization that has made such a positive impact in our community, and we know the furniture will be put to good use.”

The Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity ReStore sells donated new and gently used furniture, appliances, housewares and building supplies to the public and the net proceeds go towards building energy-efficient and affordable homes for low-income families in northwestern Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine TDI New England has announced that seven electricity suppliers from Canada and the United States have expressed interest in transmitting up to 3,200 MW of power over the 1,000 MW New England Clean Power Link in response to the Open Solicitation process conducted by the company. The expressions of interest, which were due December 4, 2015, are part of the Open Solicitation process overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”). The process seeks to identify parties interested in purchasing transmission rights on the Clean Power Link. Details regarding the potential suppliers are confidential.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Attorney General’s Office and Department of Public Service provided official guidance to solar companies doing business in Vermont to avoid making deceptive claims for certain solar projects. “The recent proliferation of new solar projects also brings the potential for a new kind of deception,” said Attorney General Sorrell. In certain solar project agreements, including most community solar or net metering credit purchase arrangements, the solar company owns the solar panels, instead of the consumer. Within some of these projects, the solar company also sells the renewable energy certificates/credits (“RECs”) attributed to the electricity generated by those solar panels in a regional market in order to help finance the project.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The Personal Income Tax, the state's most vital revenue source, lagged last month, as it often did last fiscal year. General Fund (GF) revenues totaled $83.94 million for November versus the monthly target of $87.02 million, -$3.08 million or -3.53 percent short. The shortfall was due primarily to the Personal Income Tax category. Personal Income Taxes of $37.74 million fell below target by -$3.96 million or -9.50 percent, while Corporate Income Taxes of $1.90 exceeded target by +$2.90 million. The November results caused a back slide in cumulative year-to-date General Fund receipts. However, cumulative total of $538.89 million remains slightly above the Y-T-D target by +$1.11 million, or +0.21 percent. Y-T-D November revenue receipts for FY 2016 exceed the prior year (FY 2015) results by +$27.45 million, or +5.36 percent.

Vermont Business Magazine Cathedral Square was recently awarded a $100,000 affordable housing grant through the TD Charitable Foundation’s Housing for Everyone grant competition. The grant will be used to help fund the construction of Elm Place, a new affordable housing community in Milton, Vermont. Cathedral Square’s Elm Place will be a service-enriched senior housing community located on a smart growth site in the heart of Milton’s downtown. This thoughtfully positioned property will sit adjacent to UVM Medical Center’s Milton Family Practice and near the senior center, pharmacy, grocery store, churches, and library, with sidewalks providing walking access to all of these services. Features will include a community room with kitchen, lounge, elevators, laundry facilities, storage, underbuilding parking, and an outdoor courtyard for social gatherings.