Current News

Green Mountain Power and groSolar have announced that the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) have awarded the Stafford Hill Solar Farm in Rutland the 2015 Project of Distinction Award. The award was presented this week in Boston at PV America, an annual trade show and conference designed to serve and advance the solar PV market by bringing together industry professionals. The award celebrates a major milestone for the Northeastern solar market and recognizes the highest achievement for a PV solar energy project of any scale.

GMP CEO Mary Powell, with Governor Shumlin, announces the Stafford Hill project last year. VBM file.

by Matt Borick You may have heard of a recent “international incident” involving Sony Pictures and North Korea over the movie The Interview, a comedy about a plot to assassinate Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader. Computer hackers in North Korea did not appreciate this storyline, and voiced their disapproval by launching a massive cyber attack on Sony. Nearly 50,000 current and former Sony employees had their personal information released. Multiple lawsuits have already been filed.

Vermont Gas Systems, Inc. will now offer its energy efficiency services to even more Vermonters, including some in potential new service areas – whether or not they choose to sign up for natural gas service. Qualified homes in Addison County will be eligible for a free energy audit, detailing recommended energy efficiency measures. The audit report will detail the estimated cost of each recommended energy efficiency measure and how much money residents are expected to save. Vermont Gas’ energy efficiency programs save current customers $13 million each year. Programs are also available for commercial customers.

Residents of an East Hardwick, Vermont, neighborhood that endured and then fought the pollution and noise of heavy-duty truck idling daily in a Compact Residential zoning district for nearly nine years won a Notice of Violation (NOV) judgment order from the State of Vermont Superior Court Environmental Division on March 4, 2015 that effectively prohibits a trucking company from continuing operation of commercial truck tractors in that district.

John Mandeville, an appellant in the case, following issuance of judgment, stated, “…the whole neighborhood is much relieved that this is over and that we were successful in our case before the Environmental Court and, as a result, we will get our nice, quiet village back.”

Origin Consulting LLC, has announced the go-live of Oracle Utilities Operational Device Management at Green Mountain Power (GMP). Oracle Utilities Operational Device Management, selected in February 2014, provides inventory, asset and configuration management of smart grid devices. It provides operational knowledge of each device’s location, characteristics, firmware updates, configuration management, scheduled activities and audit compliance. GMP, a cutting-edge power utility serving 250,000 customers throughout Vermont, will use this product to initially manage current and voltage transformers, AMI meters, non-AMI meters and customer-leased heat pumps.

The Vermont State Police have announced the formation of a Major Crime Unit within its Criminal Division. The Major Crime Unit will consist of a group of experienced investigators who's primary responsibility will include investigations of homicide, officer involved shootings, missing persons where foul play is suspected, cold case homicides/missing persons and other complex criminal investigations deemed appropriate.

While the concept of a Major Crime Unit is new to Vermont, it is consistent with the operations of other state police agencies and large police departments across the country. Detectives in the Major Crime Unit will receive additional specialized training directly related to the investigation of major crimes.

Thirteen Vermont cities and towns will receive more than $4 million in grants to make them more resilient, affordable, and accessible, Governor Peter Shumlin announced today in Montpelier. The municipalities will use the funds to build and improve affordable housing, complete disaster repairs, make public spaces accessible to all residents, and revitalize community centers.

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“Spring is coming and soon these grants will lead to construction projects across state that will help improve communities, grow jobs, and spur economic growth,” Gov. Shumlin said. “From Lyndon to Wilmington, these projects will help our small towns complete disaster recovery projects, create more affordable housing, and further develop their communities.”

Darn Tough Vermont, American manufacturer of premium, performance socks, has recently been recognized in a speech by Vermont Senator Partick Leahy. Per Senator Leahy’s request, an article about Darn Tough’s planned mill expansion, which appeared on VTDigger.org, a Vermont-focused news website, has been entered into the Congressional Record.

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Nominations are now open for the 2016 Vermont Teacher of the Year program. The public is being invited to join Vermont educators in going online to directly nominate teachers for the prestigious statewide distinction; the winner serves as an advocate for Vermont’s teachers, students, and education system.

Nominations can be completed through April 10 at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TOY2016. To encourage more submissions, the process has been simplified to require only the most basic information about the nominator, the nominee, and their school, as well as a short overview of what makes the nominee an extraordinary teacher.

The Economist has launched a Case Study Competition called "find a zero." Eighteen teams representing 17 universities will compete for the grand prize of $15,000. The competition, conducted in partnership with Kerrisdale Capital, an investment research firm and private investment manager, invites competing teams to find a conventional market view that is demonstrably misguided, and ought to be debunked. The teams are challenged to "find a zero" – that is, predict which billion dollar market cap company will be bankrupt by 2020.

The annual “Big Change Roundup for Kids” raised $292,755.92 to support specialized care provided at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital. The Roundup is the largest fundraiser each year for Vermont Children’s. The total surpassed last year’s tally of $268,136.69.

The three-month-long coin collecting campaign is a joint project of the hospital and 98.9 WOKO-FM with support from hundreds of local businesses and community groups, and thousands of volunteers from throughout the region. Key sponsors this year include Maplefields, New England Federal Credit Union, Walmart and Pete’s RV Center.

Highlights

Vermont Business Magazine In Vermont, 31,619 consumers selected or were automatically re-enrolled in health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace as of February 22, according to a report released today by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Of the consumers with a Marketplace plan selection, 62 percent (19,667 people) qualified for financial assistance to help with the cost of monthly premiums.

In Vermont, 8,980 consumers under the age of 35 are signed up for Marketplace coverage (28 percent of all plan selections). And 6,956 consumers 18 to 34 years of age (22 percent of all plan selections) are signed up for Marketplace coverage. These are below average for all the states. The state does have a higher enrollment of for children under 18, which could be related to Vermont's already low uninsured rate for minors.