Current News

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.

VTel Wireless at an event in Hardwick Tuesday launched the commercial version of its high-speed wireless broadband targeted for 24 unserved and underserved rural Vermont towns. It will reach more than 20,000 homes and businesses with broadband signal. The event also officially launched VTel's GigE Active Fiber service to 14 towns and villages in southern Vermont, with 4,000 of VTel's 16,000 homes connected July 1.

VTel Wireless, in conjunction with its partners at Sprint and Ericsson, will showcase several exciting technologies over the course of the day:

Green Mountain Power is responding quickly to outages caused by thunderstorms and strong winds across Vermont. The company encourages the public to stay safe and to report outages and any down lines they encounter. “This summer storm could cause significant outages by bringing down tree limbs onto powerlines,” said Dorothy Schnure, Green Mountain Power spokesperson. “We are deploying crews to respond to outages, and even more are ready to go to keep the public safe and make sure the lights get back on as soon as possible.” In addition to responding to outages, GMP is positioning workers in areas expected to be hit hardest. GMP also has contract line workers and tree trimmers available if needed to assist GMP crews in restoring power quickly.

“For the latest information, we will post updates through Facebook, Twitter and media announcements,” said Schnure.

In a historic step forward in the State’s treatment of acute mental illness, Governor Peter Shumlin cut the ribbon Tuesday on the new 25 bed state-of-the-art Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital (VPCH) in Berlin. The opening of the VPCH is the capstone of a decentralized 45-bed continuum of inpatient services, with partner hospitals Rutland Regional Medical Center and Brattleboro Retreat, for all Vermonters with acute mental health treatment needs. Tropical Storm Irene severely damaged the Waterbury state office complex, including the old hospital, in 2011.

“This facility has been a long time coming. Finally we can truly say Vermont is protecting and caring for some of our most vulnerable neighbors in an efficient, high-quality building, and appropriately treating mental illness like any other disease,” Shumlin said. The Governor also noted that the new hospital was funded with significant federal financial support, saving Vermont money.

by John Herrick vtdigger.org The Washington Electric Co-op is proposing changes to a program that allows homeowners who generate renewable energy to sell excess power back to the electrical grid. The East Montpelier-based electric utility is asking state regulators for permission to tweak its net metering program. Patty Richards, the co-op’s general manager, says Washington Electric wants to ensure the program is “fair to all of our membership.” WEC is proposing adding a fixed customer charge and a new grid service fee based on the amount of power the net metering member generates. The co-op’s proposed charges would cover fixed costs that some net metering customers pass on to other customers, Richards said.

The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has announced the availability of approximately $476,000 in Municipal Planning Grants (MPGs) to help cities and towns realize their visions for building more livable, walkable and sustainable communities. Grant applications are due September 30, 2014 with funding decisions announced in December. Funding priorities for this year support local work to improve downtowns and neighborhoods and minimize the damage from future floods.

Since 1998 MPGs have invested over $10 million to help Vermonters improve their quality of life and build strong communities. Recently completed MPG projects continue this tradition, including the following.

Vermont Business Magazine has announced that nominations are now open for the 5^th annual Rising Stars Awards. VBM will again honor Vermont's most accomplished young leaders at the Rising Stars event this fall. The nominations process is open from July 1 to September 5, 2014. Award recipients will be selected by a panel of judges for their commitment to business growth, professional excellence and involvement in their communities.

TO BE ELIGIBLE, THE CANDIDATE:

Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced the appointment of Neale Lunderville as the interim General Manager of the Burlington Electric Department during a news conference at BED. Most recently, Lunderville served as chief executive officer of NG Advantage, an energy company he co-founded in 2012 that delivers compressed natural gas to industrial users. Lunderville also served as Secretary of Administration and Secretary of Transportation for Governor Jim Douglas, and as the Tropical Storm Irene Recovery Officer for Governor Peter Shumlin. Weinberger has asked the City Council to approve the appointment at its July 14, 2014 meeting.