Current News
by og
by John Herrick vtdigger.org Rutland Superior Court awarded $1 million in December to landowners challenging the state’s transmission line company after it constructed a radio tower on their mountaintop property in Wells.
Vermont Electric Power Corp, or VELCO, sought a new trial, but the court denied the motion Wednesday and awarded the landowners an additional “prejudgment” interests rate for compensation.
The company said it will appeal the decision to the Vermont Supreme Court.
“It wasn’t a surprise,” said VELCO Vice President Kerrick Johnson. “And we are continuing to prepare our appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court.”
by og
Senators Patrick Leahy (D–Vermont) and Bernie Sanders (I–Vermont) are part of a bipartisan coalition of US senators who are asking US trade negotiators to block an initiative by the European Union (EU) to prohibit the use of generic cheese names, like Muenster, Havarti, feta, Brie or ricotta, on cheeses made in Vermont and across the country.
In a bipartisan letter signed by 55 senators, Leahy and Sanders urged the US Department of Agriculture and the US Trade Representative to push back on the EU initiative, which could confuse consumers and hurt Vermont dairy farmers and cheesemakers.
Leahy said, “Vermont is well known for our high quality cheeses carrying these and other names, and Vermont Cheddar has become the gold standard. This proposal is foolish, short-sighted and only serves to confuse customers and hurt those who make fine American products that compete with imports.”
by og
The Small Business Administration announced today it will award grants to state and local economic development agencies, business development centers, colleges and universities to support programs for innovative, technology-driven small businesses under SBA’s Federal and State Technology partnership program. Applications for the grants are open to Vermont entities through April 11.
The FAST Program is designed to stimulate economic development among small, high technology businesses through federally-funded innovation and research and development programs like the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer. The project and budget periods are for a 12-month period.
FAST may provide up to $100,000 per award to pay for outreach and technical assistance to science and technology-driven small businesses.
by og
Although Vermont’s populations of cave-dwelling bat species continue to drastically shrink in number every year, the rate of decline may be slowing down. Biologists with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department are working to determine if some individuals that remain are naturally resistant to the syndrome that has killed millions of bats to date.
Fish & Wildlife bat project leader Scott Darling hopes to determine if there is anything that can be done to prevent further declines in bats before it is too late for some species.
“We’re observing the most precipitous decline of a group of species in recorded history and it’s happening right here in our region,” said Darling. “Several species, such as northern long-eared bats, have virtually disappeared in less than a decade and we are getting increasingly skeptical that they will ever be able to rebound.”
by og
by John Herrick vtdigger.org The Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee Wednesday unanimously passed a bill designed to prepare for the implementation of the state’s universal recycling law.
Under the law, mandatory composting for some large food producers begins July 1, and next year recyclables will be banned from the landfill.
The bill creates a special fund to support the infrastructure and capital costs of collecting and processing mandated recyclables, food scraps and leaf and yard debris. The Agency of Natural Resources will decide where the money will go, according to the bill. Lawmakers want to see more money go to rural waste districts that may already have insufficient infrastructure.
The bill increases the waste disposal franchise tax from $6 to $7. The tax, which has not changed since the 1980s, is placed on each ton of trash brought to a transfer station.
by og
by Deb Markowitz, Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and Dorothy Allard, Chair, Vermont Endangered Species Committee A little over 40 years ago, the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) was passed into law. In Vermont, it is common to see osprey and loons, so it is hard to believe that merely a few decades ago, these birds were vanishingly rare in our state. These species, as well as hundreds of species of plants and animals from around the country, have been saved from extinction in large part because of the ESA and comparable state legislation like our own endangered species law.
by og
by John Herrick vtdigger.org
Montpelier hopes to become the nation’s first state capital to be powered entirely by renewable energy. City officials announced a plan to turn Montpelier into a net zero city at a news conference at City Hall Monday. The city is counting on myriad efficiency and renewable energy generation projects to help transition off fossil fuels by 2030.
“We can no longer wait for the federal government or international organizations to address the urgent problem of climate change,” said Montpelier Mayor John Hollar. “It’s the responsibility of each of us – acting individually and acting through our communities – to take action to address this problem that we face as a society.”
by og
The Vermont Agency of Education announced a collaborative partnership with three regional professional development organizations, collectively known as the Vermont Professional Learning Network (PLN). Our shared goal is to provide statewide access to high quality professional learning.
The focus of the PLN is Common Core State Standards (CCSS) implementation and instructional leadership. “We’ve brought on board someone who has strong ties to Vermont, Dr. Judy Carr,” said Lauren Wooden, co-director of the Vermont PLN. Carr is known for her work in education and leading statewide projects, including the Vermont Middle Grades Initiative. Carr is leading three major PLN projects with the goal of helping school districts to create systems that support productive and engaging classroom instruction and learning.
by og
by John Herrick vtdigger.org Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, joined more than two dozen Senate Democrats to bring attention to the issue of climate change in a 15-hour all-night talkathon on the Senate floor Monday night.
The “crisis” of climate change, Sanders said, is an issue the nation must confront.
“The scientific community has been extremely clear. Climate change is real. Climate change is man-made,” Sanders said in a statement. “And climate change is already causing severe damage in terms of drought, floods, forest fires, rising sea levels and extreme weather disturbances.”
This comes after Sanders announced a potential bid for president in 2016; climate change, he told The Nation last week, is a problem for the nation.
by og
Flags to be lowered to half staff per order of Governor Peter Shumlin in honor of Franklin S Billings Jr.
Where the flags will be lowered:
The Vermont State House, all Federal and State Facilities around the state and public buildings and grounds around the state.
Which flags will be lowered:
The Vermont State flag
Date the flags are to be lowered: (at sunrise):
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Date flags are to return to full staff: (at sunset):
Friday, March 21, 2014
Name of person being honored/Reason to Lower Flag:
In honor of Franklin S. Billings, Jr, former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court and Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives.
Billings passed away on Sunday, March 9, 2014 at the age of 91.
by og
The US District Court in Vermont is at full strength with two active judges currently serving, but Judge William Sessions’ decision to take senior status will soon create a vacancy.
The nine-member, nonpartisan Vermont Judicial Nominating Commission consists of three commissioners named by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), three by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), and three by the Vermont Bar Association. The merit commission continues a tradition that the late Senator Robert Stafford (R-Vermont) and Leahy developed and used, and that has been used since then.
By longstanding practice, the senior senator of the President’s party then recommends the final candidate for each judicial vacancy to the president. Leahy is Vermont’s senior senator as well as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which first considers judicial nominations in the Senate.
Following is Leahy’s comment on Wednesday:
by og
Governor Peter Shumlin and Green Mountain Care Board Chair Al Gobeille announced today the launch of two new “shared savings programs” for Vermont health care providers. The programs will help Vermont move away from the fee-for-service model, and instead provide incentives for groups of providers to work together, improve outcomes for patients and reduce health care cost growth. These changes are central to Vermont’s efforts to usher in Green Mountain Care, a value-based system where every Vermonter has health care simply because they are a resident of the Green Mountain State. Shumlin hopes to have this universal health care plan operating in 2017.