Current News

On May 1st, International Workers’ Day, hundreds of people from Vermont’s labor, disability rights, climate justice, migrant justice, and human rights movements will rally and march on the Vermont State House. March begins at 11:30 am at Montpelier City Hall. Participants will march to State House for a rally on the lawn.

Participants are denouncing Vermont’s political leadership for its failure to equitably address the revenue shortfall and healthcare crisis, instead choosing to attack state workers and cut funding for public services for the most vulnerable. The organizations are calling for a grassroots-led transition towards real democracy and an economy that works for people and the planet.

Featured at the rally, dairy farmworker leaders with Migrant Justice/Justicia Migrante will publicly launch their “Milk with Dignity” campaign, calling upon large dairy corporations to commit to a set of human rights standards in their milk sourcing.

Montreal-based Gaz Métro inc (GMi), as General Partner of Gaz Métro Limited Partnership (Gaz Métro), has announced that Gaz Métro completed an equity offering by issuing by way of a private placement 8,181,818 new units from its treasury at a price of $16.50 per unit to GMi and Valener Inc. (Valener), pro rata based on their respective share of units outstanding, for aggregate gross proceeds of $135 million. The proceeds of the offering will be used for the re-establishment of its capital structure and for its general corporate purposes. Gaz Metro is the parent company of Green Mountain Power and Vermont Gas Systems.

GMi financed its subscription of new units by way of issuance of common shares to Noverco Inc for gross proceeds of approximately $96 million.

Overview of Valener

Crowe Horwath LLP, one of the largest public accounting, consulting and technology firms in the U.S., has reached an agreement with Saslow Lufkin & Buggy, LLP (SLB) to have its partners and professionals join Crowe on July 1. Based in Simsbury, CT, with an additional office in Burlington, Vermont, SLB is an accounting and consulting firm serving clients throughout the country, mainly in the insurance industry. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Established in 1999 by Richard A. Buggy, Glenn D. Saslow and Robert F. Lufkin, SLB is one of the nation's leading providers of accounting, tax and consulting services to the property and casualty insurance industry. The firm, which has 90 professionals, including eight partners, also serves a variety of New England healthcare entities and hospital systems and has a well-developed employee benefit plan practice.

President Obama signed into law on Thursday Representative Peter Welch’s (D-Vermont) energy efficiency bill. The bill was sponsored in the House by Welch and Representative David McKinley (R-WV) and in the Senate by Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Below is a transcript of the President’s remarks from the bill signing ceremony in the Oval Office.

The Energy Efficiency Improvement Act (H.R.1802/S.535) certifies the energy performance of commercial rental properties, removes a regulatory barrier to the use of large scale water heaters, and encourages energy efficiency improvements in federal buildings.

A recently announced $7.4 million, five-year grant from the US Department of Agriculture will place the University of Vermont at the forefront of a national effort to reduce the impact of catastrophic disease outbreaks within the US livestock industry. UVM will lead the multi-institutional effort, multi-disciplinary biosecurity initiative. The end-product will be a variety of research-based messaging strategies, educational programs, Web modules and other initiatives designed to protect food-producing livestock from new, emerging or foreign diseases and pests.

Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) named Northfield Savings Bank President and CEO Thomas S Leavitt, of Waterbury Center, to the NUARI board of directors. Leavitt joins 10 directors on the board, bringing 22 years of banking experience, including oversight of all functions and a history of community and board involvement.

A Burlington, Vermont, native, Leavitt holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business & Economics and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Leavitt will bring significant insight to NUARI’s focus on supporting the U.S. financial sector with unique cybersecurity tools.

On Thursday afternoon, April 30, the Director of the Vermont State Police Colonel Tom L'Esperance and the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety Keith Flynn accepted the resignation of Corporal Jon Graham, effective immediately. After an initial review of the case by the Internal Affairs Department, it was determined that many of the social media posts were egregious, and rose to a level of extreme concern for the Vermont State Police.Not only were there alleged violations of the Department's Social Media Policy, but also there were alleged violations of Vermont State Police's Code of Conduct. Corporal Graham was notified of the evidence to support a continued department action against him.

Colonel Tom L'Esperance expressed his apologies to anyone who had been offended by any of Corporal Graham's posts made while employed as a state trooper, and reinforced his accountability message to all citizens.

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is reminding anglers that some of the best walleye fishing in New England is approaching with the start of the Vermont walleye fishing season on Saturday, May 2. A range of rivers and lakes offer quality walleye fishing opportunities across the state of Vermont, though anglers should be aware that regulations may vary depending on the waterbody they are fishing.

In all waters of Vermont except Lake Carmi, Chittenden Reservoir and the Connecticut River, walleye and sauger have an 18” minimum length requirement and three-fish daily limit. The open season is from Saturday, May 2 to March 15, 2016.

‘I’m Running,’ US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) said Wednesday. Promising to fight "obscene levels" of income disparity and a campaign finance system that is a "real disgrace," Sanders said. He will run for president as a Democrat, which was first reported by The Associated Press. Sanders on Thursday announced he would seek the 2016 nomination “in a bid likely to pressure Hillary Clinton from the left and challenge her on financial issues,” Reuters reported. "I've been traveling around the country for the last year trying to ascertain whether there really is grassroots support in terms of people standing up and being prepared to take on the billionaire class," Sanders said in an interview Wednesday with USA Today and the Burlington Free Press. "I believe that there is." On “Good Morning America,” ABC News’ Jonathan Karl said Sanders is “a long shot to be sure with a fiery message about taking on big money interests.”

As Vermont Gas Systems has expanded service to Jericho and Richmond, almost 950 new business and residential customers saved nearly $1.9 million in 2014 alone by converting from heating oil and propane. About 75 percent of the two towns’ potential customers have converted to natural gas. In the last year, these new Vermont Gas customers also prevented carbon emissions equivalent to the emissions from more than 4.4 million miles of driving.

“Jericho and Richmond are the latest examples of how energy choice can help Vermonters reduce costs and emissions,” said Don Rendall, President and CEO of Vermont Gas. “Our residential rates have gone down 15% in the past three years, sustaining natural gas as an affordable energy option for businesses and families. We are committed to providing more Vermonters access to natural gas through innovation, efficiency, and expansion.”

Governor Peter Shumlin, Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott, and Green Up Day sponsors Green Mountain Power and Subaru of New England today joined to remind Vermonters to participate in the 45^th Annual Green Up Day this Saturday and to highlight a unique, Green Up Day-inspired art project being constructed on the State House lawn.

Green Up Day was first launched in 1970 by Gov. Dean Davis and has grown into a unique Vermont tradition. Every year, thousands of Vermonters come together in their communities throughout the state to clean up roadside litter and tidy up public spaces to refresh Vermont’s naturally beautiful landscape. Green Up Day 2015 will be held Saturday May 2.

Green Up Day at Smugglers' Notch resort. Courtesy photo.