Current News

The Vermont Attorney General’s Office is warning that thousands of Vermont consumers continue to report receipt of threatening recorded (robocall) phone calls from persons identifying themselves as IRS agents and threatening legal action if an alleged outstanding debt to the IRS is not immediately paid. The callers then direct the consumer to call a phone number and make immediate payment by credit card, wire transfer, or other direct means of payment. This is not the IRS calling – this is a scam.

Consumers should immediately hang up if they receive this call. These calls are coming from outside the United States. By using voice over internet services, the scammers are able to mask the number they are calling from and can make it appear that they are calling locally or from another state. Do not call the number back and do not engage with the caller.

by Don Rendall, Vermont Gas President and CEO Delivering a clean, affordable energy option to more Vermonters is the top priority for Vermont Gas. Our 50,000 customers in Franklin and Chittenden Counties save almost 50% compared to propane and 25% compared to heating oil. That’s $2,000 a year, on average, in savings for the families we serve. We’ve reduced our customers’ rates more than 15% since the beginning of 2012.

By displacing heating oil and propane, our customers are contributing to Vermont’s clean energy future, avoiding greenhouse gas and other air pollution equal to the emissions from almost 10% of Vermont’s cars and light trucks.

Governor Peter Shumlin announced today that Vermont has signed on to a first-of-its-kind agreement with international leaders from 11 other states and provinces, collectively representing more than $4.5 trillion in GDP and 100 million people, to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius – the warming threshold at which scientists say there will likely be catastrophic climate disruptions.

Spearheaded by California Governor Jerry Brown, the dozen-state agreement called the “Under 2 MOU” provides a template for the world’s nations to follow as work continues toward an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ahead of this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

The Vermont Public Service Department today announced its process for updating the Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP), which is required to be completed by the end of 2015. The Department will solicit public input through a series of meetings this summer, as well as through written comments, and produce a draft CEP by September. That draft plan will then be available for additional public review and input throughout the fall, with a final CEP to be completed by the end of the year.

Spring has finally arrived in Vermont, and gardeners and landscapers are eagerly breaking out their shovels in anticipation of the year’s spring plantings. Beyond the beauty new gardens provide, landscapers can make a big difference for wildlife with the plants they choose, according to Vermont Fish & Wildlife biologist Jon Kart.

“Native plants such as black elderberry or wild cherry trees help a variety of species in Vermont, from songbirds to black bears,” said Kart. “And, as concerns mount for pollinator insects, such as bumblebees and monarch butterflies, we’re strongly encouraging Vermont’s gardeners and landscapers to choose plants that help promote these native species.”

The Vermont Environmental Consortium (VEC) and Vermont Tech announce the 4^th Annual Water Quality Conference to be held on Friday, May 29 from 8 am to 5:30 pm at Vermont Tech, Judd Hall, in Randolph. Daniel Smith, President of Vermont Tech, is the keynote speaker for the conference. President Smith’s entrepreneurial vision for this celebrated Vermont institution has already brought a number of initiatives to Vermont Tech that are directly related to water quality concerns in the state.

Conference speakers and panelists include: Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner David Mears; Karen Glitman, Director of Policy and Public Affairs for VT Energy Investment Corp.; Monique Oxender, Chief Sustainability Officer, Keurig Green Mountain; David Dunn, Program Manager at Green Mountain Power’s Energy Innovation Center; and Tom Berry, Agriculture Policy Advisor for Senator Patrick Leahy.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking farmers and producers interested in turning their agricultural commodities into new products. The USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant program provides farmers with up to $250,000 in working capital or feasibility funding to turn raw agricultural products into finished products that increase producer profitability and create jobs. The deadline for grant submissions is July 7^th.

“USDA Rural Development wants to help farmers capture a larger share of the growing local food movement,” said USDA Rural Development Vermont and New Hampshire State Director Ted Brady. “The Value Added Producer Grant Program helps farmers do just that by providing grant funds to help turn things like apples into pie, milk into yogurt, meats into sausage or berries into jam.”

What’s the latest science on microplastics pollution in our lakes? What can be done to protect drinking water from harmful algae blooms? Which fish species are now safe to eat? These questions, and many others, will be explored at the 58th International Conference on Great Lakes Research, which is drawing more than 650 scientists from around the world to the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt., May 25-29.

“New Views, New Tools” is the theme for the conference, convened by the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) and UVM. This is first time the international conference will be in Vermont. It will be held in the University of Vermont’s Davis Center.

Keynote speakers include:

As the unofficial start to the summer season, Memorial Day Weekend marks the re-opening of Vermont’s legendary state parks. Vermont’s 52 state parks offer a wide variety of day use activities (such as boating, swimming, fishing, picnicking and hiking) and camping experiences, including drive-in camp sites, lean-to’s, cabins, cottages, remote campsites, group camping areas, and an inn-style lodge. Every park and site is surrounded by Vermont’s beautiful mountains, lakes, forests and fields.

Efficiency Vermont and Burlington Electric Department (BED) celebrated the arrival of an innovative new technology to Vermont Tuesday at the family-owned Bouchard-Pierce store in Essex Junction. A winner of the 2014 ENERGY STAR Emerging Technology Award, heat pump clothes dryers combine the cutting edge efficiency of heat pump technology with one of the highest energy-using appliances in the home.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), clothes dryers use more energy than any other large appliance in the home. From 2006 to 2010 an average of 9,538 dryers were sold annually in Vermont, of which, 87% were estimated to be electric. This year the first-ever ENERGY STAR labeled clothes dryers are hitting retail floors, including several heat pump dryers, which use approximately 40 percent less energy than a regular electric dryer.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org Governor Peter Shumlin said Vermont is still leading the nation on health care reform, but without a dedicated funding source, he acknowledged the state is struggling to afford an expanded Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. The Legislature did not implement the governor’s proposed health care payroll tax which would have increased Medicaid payments to medical providers. The $90 million tax would have also supported an increase in caseload and utilization costs. Shumlin told Vermont Public Radio that the failure of the initiative is the “biggest disappointment” of this legislative session.

The 31^st annual Vermont Chamber Business & Industry EXPO will take place this Thursday at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel & Conference Center. This is the largest business-to-business trade show in Northern New England, this year featuring a brand new one day public trade show schedule. With an estimated 3,000 business leader attendees and nearly 150 exhibitors, this event will create and strengthen B2B connections for Vermont economic growth.

Governor Peter Shumlin will announce the winner of the 2014 Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business of the Year during opening ceremonies in the conference center foyer. The three finalists for the award are: Bond Auto Parts, Champlain Cable Corporation, and S.D. Ireland.

Event Highlights