Current News

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) says a fresh influx of funding from the US Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), using disaster relief funds that Leahy helped to add in November, will assist Vermont farmers whose lands were harmed by Irene.

Vermont learned Thursday that the state will receive an additional $2.56 million, more than doubling an earlier allocation of $2.18 million, for a total of $4.7 million in federal funds from the Environmental Conservation Program (ECP) to rehabilitate farmland damaged by Irene.

Landowners, individuals and communities across the nation endured major hardships because of the intensity and number of natural disasters last year, and the ECP program was severely under-funded and had a national backlog even before Hurricane Irene hit. As a senior member of both the Senate Agriculture and Appropriations panels, Leahy fought successfully after Irene to supplement the program’s depleted coffers.

They both have wireless technology.Both use GPS in new, innovative ways.Now Apple’s iPhone and the Vermont-made AllSun Tracker have something else in common with the installation of a new solar tracker farm.
Small Dog Electronics, one of the largest Apple suppliers in the United States, has installed ten AllSun Trackers at their company headquarters.

The42kW installation outside the company’s Waitsfield office will make 58,800 kWh per year. This will provide the power needed to run their retail store in South Burlington as well as half of the power for the company’s Waitsfield headquarters.The new locally manufactured solar trackers are the latest in a series of investments made by Small Dog Electronics toward a goal of achieving net zero usage of non-renewable energy.

by Alan Panebaker vtdigger.orgA proposal to study whether the state should purchase up to 51 percent of Vermont’s electric transmission system is ruffling feathers.
Lobbyists filled the Senate committee rooms this week as financial experts and utility executives ticked off reasons why state ownership of half the state’s electric transmission utility is a bad idea.
It’s such a bad idea, in their view, that it doesn’t warrant study.
The proposal, introduced in the form of a bill by Sens. Vince Illuzzi, Tim Ashe and Peter Galbraith, is for an independent study of the costs, benefits and risks associated with the state’s acquisition of an ownership interest in Transco, the company that owns most of the electric transmission assets in the state, and VELCO, the company that manages it.
In committee discussions, the proposal by the trio of senators appears to have many critics and few allies.

by Alan Panebaker vtdigger.orgThe complicated and controversial health care bill cleared a House committee Thursday after weeks of tinkering and some close votes.
Eight members of the committee voted to approve the bill with the two Republicans on the committee, Jim Eckhardt and Patti Komline voting against.
For nearly a month, members of the House Committee on Health Care wrestled with legislation that lays the ground work for a health benefits exchange.
The confusion surrounding the exchange and the intersection between federal and state law created confusion both in and outside the Statehouse.
‘It’s frustrating to know there’s a lot of it we don’t understand,’ said Paul Poirier, a Barre independent who voted for the bill.
The exchange will serve as the marketplace for individuals and small businesses starting in 2014. Under the federal health care reform law, states have to create exchanges or the feds will do it for them.

By Lake Champlain Committee Staff Scientist Mike WinslowThe Plattsburgh Press Republican recently reported that the spillway at the 90-year old Mead Dam, which supplies water for the city, does not meet state regulations and must be reconstructed. Like many places throughout the country, Plattsburgh faces an aging water supply system. In other cities the situation is even more ominous; the city of Chelan, Washington, for example, is still served by wooden pipes lashed together with metal. The American Society of Civil Engineersrecently gave our nation’s drinking water infrastructure a grade of D-. As a consequence of the poor condition, there are 240,000 water main breaks each year in the United States. The deteriorating state of America’s water supply infrastructure is appalling, and remedying the problem will not be cheap.

What do music artists Snoop Dog, the Flaming Lips and the Barednaked Ladies have in common? They will be rocking the stage at Vermont ski resorts soon. In fact, festivals with major acts and exciting activities are as abundant these days as snowy ski trails across the state. With more than 1,000 trails to ski or ride and a party to suit every style, every weekend, Vermont’s mountains assure a great winter getaway.
Feb Fest ‘ Bromley Mountain
February 18, 2012
The party starts at 7:00 p.m. with a torchlight parade followed by fireworks. Then it's dancing, silent auction, vacation raffle, dessert tasting and all of the other frivolity from 8-11:00 p.m. in the base lodge. Visitwww.bromley.com.
Disney FamilyFun Winter Carnival, Smugglers’ Notch Resort
February 23, 2012

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.