Current News

by Alan Panebaker vtdigger.orgThe fate of a multi-million dollar insurance broker industry in Vermont is unclear as the state marches down the path of health care reform.
In 2010, Vermont businesses paid nearly $17 million in fees and commissions to agents and brokers to negotiate employee health benefit plans, according to data from the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration.
The Shumlin administration has singled out brokers as one of the factors in the unsustainable rise in health insurance premiums.
Consequently, the role brokers will play when the state implements a health benefits exchange in 2014 has yet to be determined.

The Green Mountain Club and Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation today encouraged winter hikers to enjoy Vermont’s mountains but to take extra caution in preparation for icy conditions.
The Green Mountain summits are unusually accessible this winter due to low snowfall and sunny weather. The trails are easier to follow and uphill hiking is easier without the state’s usual snowpack.
‘Tired of cabin fever? Go take a hike! But hikers should be aware that a serious winter challenge remains: ICE. And ice plus gravity makes a rough combination,’ warned Dave Hardy, Green Mountain Club director of trail programs. ‘Please be prepared for winter conditions. Even unseasonably warm sunny afternoons this time of year are followed by dark cold nights.’
Hikers should follow these helpful tips from the Green Mountain Club and Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation:

When the 2011 Jobs Bill was passed by the Legislature last year, over $500,000 was earmarked for Agricultural investments. The Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets estimates 100 jobs will be created as a result of the investments, and an additional $1.3 million dollars of matching funds and personal investments will be leveraged.
In a press conference held at the State House yesterday, grant recipients shared stories about how these funds will be used for workforce training, new market opportunities, and job creation.
‘Thanks to this grant, we are able to become GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certified,’ said Amy Skelton from Pete’s Greens in Craftsbury. ‘That’s what it takes to get our products into the big stores ‘ the Shaws, the Hannafords ‘ where a large majority of Vermonters shop. It’s creating a huge opportunity for us.’

Following a break-in attempt at the Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) pole yard in Richford on Tuesday night, VEC officials observed suspicious activity at the Jay Tap substation in the early morning hours on Thursday. Caught on camera, a video reveals two individuals scoping the perimeter of the substation, although they did not enter the facility which houses high voltage electric equipment. Both incidents were reported promptly to local law enforcement officials.
This is believed to be part of a growing nationwide trend in which people steal copper from electric utility facilities in order to resell it. ‘This type of copper theft is extremely dangerous,’ emphasized VEC’s safety manager, Les Burns. ‘Not only do perpetrators put themselves at risk of being electrocuted, this type of activity also puts utility workers and the general public at risk for injury and power outages.’

With unrest in the Middle East driving oil prices higher and record high demand for heating assistance, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) has introduced legislation to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
The Energy Assistance for American Families Act (H.R. 4026) would increase the authorized funding level for LIHEAP to $7.6 billion per year for the next four years. LIHEAP was last authorized in 2007 with a yearly funding level of $5.1 billion. The $2.5 billion in additional funds will help expand the reach of LIHEAP, which currently serves only 27 percent of those who qualify for assistance.

The Vermont Public Service Board today approved a plan that will see FairPoint Communicationsinvesting nearly $7 million to expand its broadband network and bring high-speed Internet to ‘last-mile’ Vermonters.
FairPoint was joined in its request by the Vermont Department of Public Service, which agreed that investing past penalty assessments for broadband buildout helps achieve the state’s goal to bring high-speed Internet service to all Vermonters.

‘The Board’s decision now allows FairPoint Communications to redirect past penalties from 2008, 2009 and 2010 and put them to a much better use,’ said Mike Smith, Vermont state president for FairPoint.

‘This is great news for Vermonters and it advances Governor Shumlin’s goal of universal broadband and cellular coverage by the end of 2013,’ Smith said.

The Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union must repay the district’s teachers all back wages in a lump sum within 30 days, the Vermont Department of Labor has ruled. A teachers' strike in the district ended last October 31 with a new contract.
In a decision released laast Friday, the Labor Department ordered the district to live up to the terms of the three-year contract with the Southwestern Vermont Education Association and to follow state law.
‘We are pleased that the Department of Labor recognized the district was wrong in withholding payment of excess health insurance premiums and back pay called for in the contract we negotiated,’ said Stephannie Peters, a teacher at the Career Development Center and president of the Southwestern Vermont Education Association, the union representing more than 310 teachers in the Bennington area. ‘We hope the central office will comply with the order and stop the incessant delays and excuses it has used for months.’

First Wind, an independent U.S.-based wind energy company, today announced that the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) Biomonitoring and Aquatic Studies Program has issued a report with the results of a series of water quality tests that found that construction of the Sheffield Wind Project had no adverse impact to the water quality and aquatic life of cold-water streams near the project.
The study, which spanned from 2006 to 2011, looked at aquatic life forms as indicators of water quality in five streams adjacent to and downslope of the Sheffield Wind Project in Sheffield, VT. The report measured ‘biological integrity’ ‘ an index of ecological health based on the condition of aquatic life (macroinvertebrate) and fish populations ‘both before and after the construction of the Sheffield Wind Project.

Vermont Attorney General William H. Sorrell announced today that the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an effort by McGRX, Inc. to have claims against the State of Vermont reinstated in federal court. McGRX, Inc., a pharmacy operator doing business as McGregor’s Medicine on Time, sought to challenge certain Medicaid prescription drug regulations promulgated by the Department of Vermont Health Access. The company filed a federal lawsuit in January 2010. The federal district court in Vermont dismissed the case and the company appealed that decision to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. The appeal was heard last week. In a short order issued today, the Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the claims.

Green Mountain Power (GMP) today proposed a $21 million investment that would provide approximately $40 million in energy efficiency benefits to Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) customers. This proposal will enhance customer benefits from the proposed merger of GMP and CVPS, following CVPS’s acquisition by Gaz Métro Limited Partnership. The merger of the state's two largest utilities is expected to be completed this spring.

TheProvidenceand Worcester Railroad (Nasdaq: PWX) and the New England Central Railroad, part of the RailAmerica (NYSE: RA) family which operates extensively in Vermont, have announced the establishment of the Great Eastern Route, a new coordinated commercial and operating platform. This new strategic alliance is being developed to increase our collective business with both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific to rail customers in southern New Englandand to enhancetheirglobal access through our port facilities.
Over the past 5 years the NECR and P&W have jointly invested significant capital in the infrastructure along with the States ofVermont,New Hampshire,Rhode Islandand the federal government. These investments enhance our service and combined with this new commercial and operating relationship will provide the basis for a greatly improved customer experience aimed at growing our collective business across all commodity lines.

All three Vermont tax categories fell below targets for the month of January, according to Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding. Nearly all the General Fund taxes, including the vital personal income and sales taxes, were down. Fuel tax receipts were also below expectations, thus bringing down the Transportation Fund. Spaulding laid most of the blame on the lack of snow, resulting in fewer tourists and fewer consumption revenues.
January is the seventh month of fiscal year (FY) 2012. General Fund revenues totaled $129.17 million for January 2012, and were -$4.67 million or -3.49 percent below the $133.84 million consensus revenue forecast for the month. Year to date, General Fund revenues were $698.29 million, and -$4.67 million or 0.66 percent short of the target of $702.95 million for FY 2012.