Current News

The U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Peter Welch’s bipartisan legislation to encourage schools administrators to make cost-saving energy efficiency upgrades. The Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act, modeled after Vermont’s school-based energy efficiency efforts, is the second Welch-authored energy efficiency bill to pass the House this year.

“I am pleased the House is taking another bipartisan step in support of energy efficiency. This bill will save taxpayers money and improve the environment by cutting energy costs in local schools. And it will create jobs through the use of American-made energy efficiency products,” said Rep. Welch. “Energy efficiency is a practical idea that has brought Democrats and Republicans together in Congress to achieve real progress for the American people.”

Three organizations are joining efforts to help Rutland residents lower their energy costs this summer. Efficiency Vermont, Green Mountain Power (GMP), and Neighbor Works of Western Vermont H.E.A.T. Squad are teaming up to knock on every door in the City to reach out to Rutland City residents, answer their energy questions, and connect them with opportunities to lower their energy costs. The goal is to reach out to over 7,000 households by September.

“This is an exciting initiative to help empower Rutland residents to save money,” said Mary Powell, President and CEO of Green Mountain Power. “Each of our organizations has complementary information and expertise, which is why we’re working together to deliver a one-stop-shop energy resource for Rutland. We’ll give them information about the easy first steps they can make to take control of their energy use. ”

Renewable NRG Systems, a designer and manufacturer of decision support tools for the global renewable energy industry, has supplied a Wind Iris nacelle-mounted Lidar system to Northern Power Systems Corp. (TSX: NPS) for the purpose of performing power curve testing and validation of the NPS 100 wind turbine platform. The Wind Iris will be used to measure the free stream wind speed ahead of the turbine, where the blocking effect is minimal.

The data compiled by the Wind Iris will allow NPS to determine the impact of different upgrades on wind turbine power performance. Additionally, it will enable the company to accurately characterize how the turbine anemometer and vane measurements are influenced by the rotation of the blades and the structure, known as the nacelle transfer function (NTF).

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation reports that white pine tree needle damage is widespread in the state again this spring. According to Windham County Forester Bill Guenther, “The golden hue of white pine needle blight exploded onto the scene in early June”. Although the damage is very noticeable, it is not life-threatening to healthy white pines.

Widespread yellowing of white pine needles has been particularly noticeable in the region since 2010. Topmost branches are rarely affected by the disease. Although the white pine needle damage looks serious, the trees aren’t dying, and their new shoots should grow normally. Trees will look better in early summer, once all the injured needles are shed.

The US Small Business Administration is reminding small businesses that July 21 is the filing deadline for federal economic injury disaster loans that are available in the counties of Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange,Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor in Vermont as a result of excessive rain and flooding beginning May 5, 2013. Under this declaration, the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. With the exception of aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers.

The loans are for working capital and can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 4 percent for eligible small businesses and 2.875 percent for non-profit organizations, and terms up to
30 years.

Vermont Business Magazine Another economic data point ranks Vermont among the best in the nation. State personal income increased 0.8 percent on average in the US in the first quarter of 2014, an acceleration from the 0.5 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to estimates released Tuesday by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal income grew in 46 states and growth accelerated in 24 of those states. The fastest growth, 1.4 percent, was in Washington state, Vermont, and West Virginia. Personal income fell 2.9 percent in North Dakota, 0.3 percent in South Dakota, and 0.2 percent in Arkansas and Nebraska. Inflation, as measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, was 0.3 percent in the first quarter, the same as in the fourth quarter.

Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer today released the findings of an investigation into a powerful state database that sheds light on prices, trends, and variation across Vermont’s health care system. The Vermont Health Care Uniform Reporting and Evaluation System (VHCURES) is a digital catalogue of all fees for medical services and products that insurers paid over the last seven years for Vermont residents. The Auditor’s inquiry found that while the State has made great progress in developing this resource, State entities have yet to fulfill the statutory duty of using the database to better inform consumers about health care.

by Morgan True vtdigger.org A recent study of proposed health insurance premiums in state exchanges shows Vermont could have the highest average cost and least variation in the price of the most popular silver plans.

Four high schools in Vermont were awarded grants from the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) to help build public understanding and support for the Act 77 Legislation of 2013 designed to provide students with multiple pathways to graduation, the Agency announced today.

The four schools are: Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon; Twinfield Union School in Plainfield; Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg; and Colchester High School in Colchester.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with these schools to ensure that communities across Vermont fully understand the implications of the legislation. In an era of unprecedented societal change, our best shot at creating a prosperous future for Vermont and our students is to remodel our educational delivery system to meet their needs,” said Deputy Secretary John Fischer. “We need to spread that message far and wide.”

by John Herrick vtdigger.org The vast majority of Vermonters want to use less fossil fuel for their energy needs, but the cost to reduce one’s carbon footprint is a challenge, according to a survey the Energy Action Network released last week. The Energy Action Network is launching an initiative designed to promote ways residents can turn strongly held beliefs about climate change into action, the group says. Andrea Colnes, executive director of the network, said her organization will create a website designed to show Vermonters how shifting from fossil fuels and to cleaner energy is doable and affordable. This includes home retrofits that could save more heat, installing efficient electric heat pumps and making the switch to electric vehicles, among other solutions, she said.

by Tom Pelham Inevitably, violating principles of sustainable spending has both fiscal and political consequences. At its core, sustainable spending requires that growth in government spending reasonably equate to growth in the underlying economy supporting such spending, especially in relatively high tax states like Vermont. In recent years, our state leaders have wandered from these core principles and the consequences, both fiscal and soon political, are now unfolding.

Primary data on recent rates of change in Vermont’s economic and demographic profile are readily available.

For example:

-The U.S. Bureau of Economic Affairs recently reported that the growth in Vermont’s real gross domestic product (GDP) for 2013 was 1.9%. BEA GDP release

Merchants Bank ranked 18th on ABA Banking Journal’s 2013 list of top performing midsize banks, three places higher than their 21st place ranking in 2012. A common thread uniting this year’s group of “Top 25” performers was efficiency. “Like many of our Top 25 peers, Merchants Bank invested in technology and relied on process improvement to generate a positive impact throughout the year,” stated Mike Tuttle, President and CEO of Merchants Bank. “We are very proud to again be included in this group of exceptional banks, and are always looking for opportunities to improve that will benefit our customers, employees and shareholders over the long term.”