Current News

by Morgan True vtdigger.org In preparation for a biennium that is likely to spell the fate of Vermont’s planned public universal health care program, the Legislature is looking to hire an array of top-flight consultants. Lawmakers appropriated $800,000 for its Joint Fiscal Office to spend on health reform consulting services over the next two years. The newly formed joint legislative Health Reform Oversight Committee met this week to advise JFO on hiring a consultant to do detailed financial modeling on the state’s current health care system.

“Before entertaining any transition to a new health care system we need to have a full understanding of who pays today,” said Rep. Mike Fisher, D-Lincoln, chair of the House Health Care Committee.

The US Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that it is seeking grant proposals to award up to $1.5 million in grant funding to for-profit and non-profit service providers including, but not limited to, universities, trade and professional associations, firms, and other organizations for special projects to promote the development, success, and long-term survival of small disadvantaged businesses that participate in the agency’s 8(a) Business Development Program.

The SBA expects to award 6-10 grants in the range of $150,000-$250,000, and that up to two awards may be made to small businesses. Applications will be accepted through July 20, 2014, and awards will be issued by September 30, 2014.

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has approved the Passumpsic and Upper Connecticut River Tactical Basin Plan. The Plan was developed with the purpose of improving water quality and aquatic habitats, and presents the recommendations of State and Federal resource agencies, watershed partner organizations, planning commissions, municipalities, and individual citizens.

Irene Nagle, of the Northeast Vermont Development Association (NVDA), explained that, “the tactical plan will guide NVDA’s work with communities to address flood resiliency. The plan compiles information from a broad array of studies on streams, bridges and culverts, and stormwater mapping, and provides a foundation for effective town planning and zoning. By setting priorities and identifying funding sources for project implementation, the plan provides a clear direction for communities seeking to move towards a flood-resilient future.”

In the Green Mountain State, Vermonters’ love for the outdoors and passion for local brews have come together in a State-brewery collaboration. Vermont State Parks and Whetstone Station in Brattleboro, Vt. have brewed up a partnership that features two state park named beers, Fort Dummer Summer and Molly Stark Dark, brewed with water sourced directly from those two State Parks. The partnership also includes free entry to state parks, local charitable giving and everyone’s favorite – koozies for your next camping trip.

Beginning July 16, Whetstone will give away up to 100 vouchers for free park entry into Fort Dummer and Molly Stark State Parks, to patrons who order these limited edition brews. Fort Dummer and Molly Stark Parks will also distribute vouchers for a complimentary koozie at Whetstone Pub & Brewery.

About the State Park brews:

Fort Dummer Summer, Release date: July 16, 2014

Tours are well under way at Green Mountain Power’s Kingdom Community Wind site in Lowell. So far this summer GMP has brought nearly 400 people to the top of Lowell Mountain to get an up-close view of the 21 turbine project. During the free tour, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the project, touch a blade, and experience how the turbines operate and harness the power of wind.

PHOTO: 2013 tour, vtdigger.org photo.

“Green Mountain Power is thrilled to once again offer these free tours to the public,” said GMP Spokeswoman Dorothy Schnure. “Connecting Vermonters directly to how energy is produced is so important. The tours are a wonderful way to engage with people and show them first hand this exciting wind project.”

John Wiley & Sons, Inc, a global book publisher and education company whose roster of authors includes more than 450 Nobel laureates, has announced that it will take over the publishing and book sales of Winthrop H. Smith Jr.’s book Catching Lightning in a Bottle: How Merrill Lynch Revolutionized the Financial World. Smith originally released the book in December of 2013, just before the 100th anniversary of Merrill Lynch. The January 2014 anniversary of the company was a bittersweet affair: in 2013 , Bank of America took over Merrill Lynch, a company that was at one point the world’s largest brokerage firm, but whose subsequent fall from greatness Smith attributes to the actions of former CEO Stanley O’Neill.

After a months-long investigation into allegations of poor financial practices and misappropriation of funds, the Attorney General’s Office has reached a settlement agreement with a central Vermont nonprofit organization. The Office had received complaints that Food Works’ Two Rivers Center for Sustainability, located in Montpelier, had used funds donated for specific programs for general expenses and other purposes, contrary to the intent of the funder, and had overstated its fundraising success when seeking further donations.

Composting in Vermont received a boost in the last legislative session with passage of four sales tax exemptions that went into effect July 1, 2014. Provisions include exempting bulk purchases of compost, planting mixes, and manure from the Sales and Use Tax. Bulking agents to make compost, such as wood chips, are now also exempt from sales tax. Passed unanimously in the House as a stand-alone bill, these provisions were incorporated into the Senate’s Miscellaneous Tax bill.

An updated flood map will become effective in the Town of Richmond on August 4, 2014. Flood Insurance Rate Maps are produced by FEMA to identify flood hazard risks for the National Flood Insurance Program. The current and future flood hazard maps are viewable at the Richmond Town Center Building. The current map is also online at the FEMA map service center www.msc.fema.gov . To view the new maps (upcoming Preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM)) please visit the Vermont Flood Ready Atlas at tinyurl.com/floodreadyatlas

Today, the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) announced the approval of the Southern Lake Champlain Tactical Basin water quality management plan. This plan covers basins 2 and 4 – the Poultney and Mettowee Rivers, and the Lower Champlain Direct tributaries. The Southern Lake Champlain Tactical Basin Plan reflects years of work in the Southern Lake Champlain Watershed (Basin) to evaluate the health of the surface waters.

The Southern Lake Champlain Tactical Basin Plan provides an overview of the health of the basin and a description of the priority future and ongoing steps to restore and protect the quality of its surface waters. What makes this plan “tactical” is the reliance on comprehensive water quality monitoring and assessment information to develop high priority implementation actions and tasks that provide opportunities for all stakeholders in the Southern Lake Champlain Basin to pursue technical and financial support for water quality improvement.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision today in favor of the State of Vermont, rejecting all elements of Vermont Right to Life Committee’s (VRLC) attack on the State’s campaign finance laws. The appellate court affirmed the federal district court’s decision issued by Judge William Sessions in June 2012. Attorney General William Sorrell commended the court’s decision, saying, “The Second Circuit’s ruling confirms the constitutional validity of Vermont’s campaign finance laws. It upholds an important part of Vermont’s regulatory framework addressing money in elections.”

The US Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday held a field hearing in Burlington on net neutrality titled, “Preserving an Open Internet: Rules to Promote Competition and Protect Main Street Consumers.” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), author of the bicameral Online Competition and Consumer Choice Act that would support consumers by requiring the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ban paid prioritization deals, invited a panel of witnesses representing a variety of viewpoints to testify on the issue of net neutrality. Witnesses provided real-life accounts of how Internet rules impact everyday consumers and small businesses.