Current News

Vermont Business Magazine There was a big turnout and strong member engagement Saturday at Vermont Electric Co-op's Annual Meeting held at Jay Peak Resort. VEC's electricity procurement strategy was a key topic at the meeting. The main presentation, titled “Navigating a Clean Power Supply,” examined how and why VEC chooses certain types of power—like wind, solar, natural gas, biomass, and others—from the regional wholesale electricity market keeping both climate-related goals and affordability top-of-mind. VEC also announced at the meeting that Tom Bailey, William Gilbert, Bonnie Pratt, and Jeff Wilson were all elected to the co-op’s Board of Directors, representing various Board districts. Members also saw demonstrations of how VEC uses drones for system maintenance and power restoration, and spoke with VEC staff employees about the co-op’s use of electric fleet pickup trucks.

Vermont Business Magazine ISO New England, operator of the region’s bulk power system and wholesale electricity marketplace, has announced the election of its 2025 Board of Directors slate. Current board chair Cheryl LaFleur and members Catherine Flax and Melvin G. Williams, Jr. were reelected to three-year terms that begin this October.

Vermont Business Magazine The Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions (AVCC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Tiny Grant awards to support local conservation in Vermont. This year, we are proud to award over $4,000 to eight volunteer conservation commissions (CCs) across four counties in Vermont. Through its Tiny Grants program, the AVCC annually awards up to $700 in seed money and/or matching funds for specific projects in the broad categories of land conservation, education and outreach, stewardship and management, and planning.  We also received a record-breaking number of applications this year – 31 applications totaling nearly $20,000 in requested funding. Our 2025 Tiny Grants were made possible with generous support from The Nature Conservancy in Vermont, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission and Vermont Natural Resources Council.

Vermont Business Magazine During the spring fish spawning season, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) wants to remind Vermonters that permitted lake encroachment construction projects and non-chemical aquatic plant control projects on public lakes and ponds are typically not allowed from March 15 to July 1. Examples of projects that are typically not allowed during this period include adding rock or other material to the water for shoreline stabilization (such as riprap or seawalls), boathouse reconstruction, dredging, bottom barriers, diver assisted suction harvesting, or other projects that disturb the lakebed.

Vermont Business Magazine The Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of the Northeast held its 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting May 8-9, raising a record $165,386 for Log A Load For Kids and presenting awards to businesses and individuals from across Maine and Vermont for their contributions to the logging industry. The meeting was held at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, ME., with more than 250 people attending the main events on Friday. This was the second annual meeting of the PLC since its expansion in 2023 from a Maine organization to a regional one serving loggers and forest truckers across the Northeast, and a milestone anniversary for the organization. The annual meeting is the PLC’s largest event and highlighted by the Log A Load for Kids Auction raising money for three Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals in Maine and Vermont. Families served by each of the CMN hospitals were in attendance for the event.

Republican Governor's Association All Republican governors joined together in a statement in support of Jewish Heritage month and to stand in solidarity with Israel on the 77th anniversary of Israel’s independence (Israeli Declaration of Independence, May 14, 1948). “As public servants and governors, we are proud to recognize May as Jewish American Heritage Month. We encourage all Americans to honor and celebrate the profound historical, cultural, and economic contributions of Jewish Americans who continue to enrich our communities and strengthen our nation. In our classrooms and at the kitchen table, we encourage our citizens to learn more about the strong heritage of our nation’s Jewish American community that has long been a part of our nation’s fabric, beginning with the Revolutionary War."

Vermont Business Magazine Each year in May, the University of Vermont hosts the Spring Move Out Project (SMOP) in collaboration with the City of Burlington, local organizations, and Champlain College to make student move out easier for everyone. Moving out? Bring reusable items to the Spring Move Out Project (SMOP) Events on May 15 and May 22. Whether you're moving out or you just want a little more elbow room, the 25th Annual Spring Move Out Project is the time and the place for unloading unwanted (but still usable) household goods. Students bring clothing, books, household items, furniture, and non-perishable food items down to this annual community swap. Leftovers will be donated to local charities and reuse stores.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) today joined Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), and U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) in introducing the End Price Gouging for Medications Act. The bicameral bill would lower prescription drug costs for all Americans and end pharmaceutical price gouging by requiring drug companies to offer medications in the United States at no more than the lowest price per drug in twelve other similarly developed countries—Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak announced her intention to appoint Kara Alnasrawi as the next Director of the Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO). Alnasrawi currently serves as the Director of the Department of Business & Workforce Development (BWD), and the Church Street Marketplace. Alnasrawi was first appointed as the Executive Director of the Church Street Marketplace in 2019. She was then appointed to lead the newly created Department of Business and Workforce Development in 2022. Alnasrawi holds a master's degree in political economics and recently earned an executive certificate in economic development from the Harvard Kennedy School.  

Vermont Business Magazine Facing ongoing federal attacks on sexual and reproductive health care providers, Vermont lawmakers have taken bold, decisive action. With Governor Scott’s signature, S.28 is now law, reinforcing Vermont’s steadfast commitment to protecting both patients and providers of legally protected health care, including abortion and gender-affirming care. Scott signed S.28 into law Tuesday. S.28, An act relating to access to certain legally protected health care services

by Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak Let me start as directly as I can: I’m sorry, Canada. You didn’t elect our president, but you’re paying the price for his policies. In Vermont, we’re feeling the consequences too. Trump’s reckless tariffs are more than economic burdens; they’re straining relationships that have taken decades to build. They’re making life harder for communities on both sides of the border, undermining the trust and goodwill that have defined our partnership for so long. In this moment of division, I’m here to say: Vermont chooses a different path. We choose to stand with Canada. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is seeking grant applications for infrastructure projects that improve access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. In 2024, the Agency awarded more than $7 million for bicycle and pedestrian construction and planning projects throughout the state. The AOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Program improves access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians through the planning, design, and construction of infrastructure projects. The program improves transportation options for commuters, visitors to the state, and recreational users. As was the case in 2024, the 2025 grant cycle incorporates funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Carbon Reduction Program (CRP), which serves to fund projects designed to reduce transportation emissions.