Current News

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) announced today that the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) has allocated $30.2 million in new emergency relief funding to the Vermont Agency of Transportation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help Vermont communities impacted by the July 2024 floods. The funding, allocated through DOT’s Federal Highway Administration Emergency Relief Program, will reimburse the state for costs associated with repairing roads, culverts, headwalls, bridges, and trails.  

Vermont Business Magazine ISO New England, operator of the region’s electric grid, expects sufficient energy supply to meet consumer demand for electricity this summer. The ISO predicts electricity demand to reach 24,803 megawatts (MW) under normal weather conditions, and up to 25,886 MW during any periods of above-average summer weather, such as an extended heat wave. While the ISO anticipates adequate electricity for homes and businesses this summer, several consecutive days of hot and humid weather, loss of generation, or other factors could cause periods of tight supply margins. ISO New England grid operators have several tools available to manage these stresses and maintain reliability on the system. The ISO expects approximately 29,000 MW of capacity to be available to meet consumer demand for electricity and required reserves, this summer. 

Vermont Business Magazine Last week, the Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA) hosted 50 small business leaders and service providers from across the State at Bolton Valley Resort for a workshop on immediate actions businesses can take to navigate tariffs, working capital, and visitor marketing to remain viable among the myriad of market challenges facing them today. Attendees came for networking, education, and technical assistance to support the outdoor sector on trade and tourism decision making, contingency planning, financing strategy, customs, human resources, and legal advice, and marketing analysis.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to comment on draft updates to the state wetland maps in 107 towns. The map update covers over 20% of Vermont and shows the approximate location and shape of wetlands. It includes major parts of Washington, Chittenden, Addison, and Rutland counties and a lesser part of Lamoille, Orange, Caledonia and Bennington counties and the towns of Berkshire and Franklin. Using new technology and high-quality aerial images, DEC will continue to update maps for the entire state to better identify wetlands and thus protect, restore, and reduce impacts to them. The updates are required by the Flood Safety Act, Act 121, passed in 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine At his weekly press conference Wednesday, Governor Phil Scott and Housing and Community Development Commissioner Alex Farrell emphasized the importance of passing legislation this session to address Vermont’s housing crisis. Much of the discussion from the housing portion of the press conference involved regulatory reform, and in particular extending some Act 250 exemptions, and on implementing a new, localized TIF law for local infrastructure projects. "We can’t afford to nibble around the edges, especially when we need 41,000 more homes in 5 years - just to catch up. In the late 80s we were building about 4,800 homes a year. Now it's about 2,300."

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Ricky Sanville, Jr., 23, of Hartland, Vermont, was arraigned yesterday on six felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials. The charges brought against Mr. Sanville are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office and the Hartford Police Department. The investigation was initiated when a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) was referred to VT-ICAC by the Grafton County Sheriff’s Department in New Hampshire. The report from the messaging platform Kik concerned child sexual abuse materials.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office today announced that David Donaldson, 53, formerly of Winooski, Vermont, was sentenced in Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to two felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material – Second or Subsequent Offense. Mr. Donaldson was subject to an enhanced sentence as a habitual offender, having previously pled guilty to felony possession of child pornography (now known as child sexual abuse materials). After a contested hearing, the Court, Judge John Pacht presiding, sentenced Mr. Donaldson to five years to 15 years in prison with credit for time served. 

Vermont Business Magazine Yesterday, Governor Phil Scott signed S.44: An act relating to authorization to enter into certain immigration agreements. The act removes an existing loophole that would have allowed law enforcement agencies to enter into collaborative agreements with federal immigration authorities without the governor’s approval in a declared state or federal emergency. “We are pleased to see Governor Scott sign S.44, taking another important step forward in building the state's firewall against federal overreach. This closes a loophole which could have allowed rogue law enforcement agencies to begin working with federal immigration authorities without the consent and advice of the governor and attorney general."

Vermont Business Magazine National gasoline analyst GasBuddy has released its 2025 Summer Travel Survey results and forecast for summer travel, revealing that American road trip culture remains resilient despite ongoing economic uncertainty. GasBuddy forecasts that the national average price of gasoline will be $3.08 per gallon on Memorial Day, making it the cheapest Memorial Day at the pump since 2021, but lowest inflation adjusted since 2003*. Prices are forecast to average $3.02 per gallon over the summer from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with a sub-$3 per gallon national average possible on some days, especially toward the latter half of the summer.

Vermont Business Magazine As folks head to their lakefront properties for the summer, the Vermont Lakes and Ponds Program is offering guidance to help property owners protect and restore their lakeside properties. The Shoreland Best Management Practices guidance highlights different ways owners can improve their properties to benefit lake water quality and the health of lakeshore habitat. Owners can use this guidance to plant native trees and shrubs, install rain gardens to absorb runoff, improve driveways and pathways, create no-mow zones, and more. The Shoreland Protection Act regulates new activities in protected shoreland areas that are within 250 feet of the shoreline of lakes and ponds that are 10 acres or bigger.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont House of Representatives voted to pass S.126, an act relating to health care payment and delivery system reform, on a tri-partisan vote of 99-38. The legislation is a landmark health care reform bill aimed at reducing health care costs, improving patient access, and ensuring long-term sustainability for Vermont’s health care system.  S.126 tackles long-standing concerns with Vermont’s fragmented and increasingly expensive health care system by moving toward a system that rewards quality, access, and sustainability. The bill authorizes the Green Mountain Care Board to implement reference-based pricing to rein in commercial health care costs and requires a strategic redesign of how care is delivered across Vermont.

Public Assets Institute Vermonters may be feeling the effects of a tightening job market. Job openings in the state have fallen to their lowest level since November 2020, dropping by 4,000 positions between February and March. These openings include both full-time and part-time jobs for which employers are actively recruiting. Some of the decrease is due to employers filling positions, and some is likely due to postings getting pulled down. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed Vermonters increased over the same period, leaving fewer job openings per unemployed person. The last time Vermont had such a low number of openings per person seeking work was March 2021.