Current News

The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) has announced the election of Brenan S. Riehl to its Advisory Board. Brenan (Ben) Riehl is the President and CEO of GW Plastics headquartered in Bethel, VT. GW Plastics is a highly respected global manufacturer of very close tolerance plastic components and assemblies for Fortune 500 companies in the medical device market and the automotive safety market. The company employs about 800 people, with 300 in Vermont.

US Senators Olympia J Snowe (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) ‘ longtime champions of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program ‘ have called on Senate leadership to make the restoration of home heating aid funding a priority when Congress returns to session in January.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 voted on this morning includes $3.5 billion in funding for LIHEAP in 2012. While this is an increase from the cut in President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget of $2.57 billion, it is still a dramatic reduction from last year’s $4.7 billion.
The senators previously introduced the ‘LIHEAP Protection Act’ to restore the funding for 2012 to the $4.7 billion level. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is a cosponsor of the bill.

The Republican leadership in the US House early Sunday walked away from a deal on extending a payroll tax cut as part of a larger spending package that was also tied to the controversial oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. The US Senate on Saturday approved a bill 89-10 with bipartisan support that includes fast-tracking the controversial KeystoneXL tar sands oil pipeline to an extension of the payroll tax cut. Vermont Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, as well as Representative Peter Welch, have long opposed the Keystone project and have strongly supported the payroll tax cut extension, but object to "holding Americans' tax rates hostage," as Leahy called it, to the tar sands project and to House leaders' insistence on linking them in this bill.

Physics World announced its top 10 breakthroughs for 2011 today. Coming in at number 10 is Saint Michael's College Professor John O’Meara, with his colleagues Michele Fumagalli and Xavier Prochaska of the University of California, Santa Cruz, for their discovery of clouds of pristine gas from the very early universe’a triumph of Big Bang cosmology.
The team was lauded by Physics World for being ‘the first to catch sight of clouds of gas that are pure relics of the Big Bang. Unlike other clouds in the distant universe ‘ which appear to contain elements created by stars ‘ these clouds contain just the hydrogen, helium and lithium created by the Big Bang. As well as confirming predictions of the Big Bang theory, the clouds provide a unique insight into the materials from which the first stars and galaxies were born.’

People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, announced today that it has awarded $2,335,300 to nonprofit organizations throughout its footprint, with $225,336 going to Vermont nonprofits, during the 2011 fiscal year.

A total of 278 grants were awarded throughout the communities that People’s United Community Foundation serves in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Westchester County, New York. The grants were distributed to programs and services within the Foundation’s areas of focus, with 43 percent allocated to community development, 40 percent to youth development, and 17 percent towards affordable housing initiatives.

Since inception in 2007, People’s United Community Foundation has awarded $10,220,700, for a total of 863 grants to nonprofit organizations that serve individuals, families, and businesses within the communities where People’s United Bank operates.

Will Wiquist, executive director of the 10,000-member Green Mountain Club, today expressed disappointment that the final Comprehensive Energy Plan continues to include a provision which could open the door to wind development on lands owned and conserved by the public.
While the rewritten clause highlights small-scale projects which are already permitted under the existing policy, it does not keep the door closed to major wind development on state lands. The plan recommends that the Agency of Natural Resources ‘consider revising and clarifying’ its 2004 moratorium on large-scale wind development on ANR-land.

The vital personal income tax, up over 5 percent, rebounded last month to once again push Vermont tax receipts ahead of targets, if only modestly. Another positive sign for the economy is that all consumption taxes - sales, meals and rooms, gasoline, vehicle purchase - showed growth, even if only slightly in some cases.
Today, Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding released the November 2011 General Fund (GF) revenue results. November is the fifth month of fiscal year (FY) 2012. General Fund revenues totaled $78.60 million for November 2011, and were +$2.19 million or +2.87% above the $76.41 million consensus revenue forecast for the month. Year to date, General Fund revenues were $472.64 million, and +$12.13 million or +2.63% above the target of $460.51 million for FY 2012. Cumulatively, General Fund receipts through November 31, 2011 now exceed the prior fiscal year (FY 2011) to date receipts as of November 31, 2010 by +5.61%.

There were 1,020 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, as claims remain at a high level post Tropical Storm Irene. However, new claims decreased of 230 from the week before. Last summer's historically low claims came to an abrupt end with the storm. The numbers then dropped signifcantly in the following weeks after the storm, but in the last several weeks there has been mostly an increase in the number of new claims. Despite a recent drop in new claims, the latest numbers are nearly double the initial claims observed in July and August.

In a year-end push to attain one million Facebook fans, Spartan Race has announced the ‘Race to a Million’ contest. For every Spartan Race contest entry on Facebook received by 11:59 p.m. (PST) Dec. 31, 2011, twenty cents will be donated to Operation Gratitude, a non-profit organization that annually sends 100,000 care packages to military personnel, their families and wounded service men and women.
‘Two of Spartan Race’s biggest commitments are getting people from all walks of life active, healthy and open to new challenges and supporting the brave service members of the Armed Forces,’ said Spartan Race Founder Joe Desena. ‘This contest is a fun way to head into the New Year with increased awareness of Spartan Race and our mission as well as helping a very worthy cause.Upon achieving its goal of one million Facebook fans before New Year’s, Spartan Race, the world leader in obstacle racing, will donate an additional $50,000 to Operation Gratitude.

Porter Airlines Flight 987 landed at Burlington International Airport Thursday afternoon, marking the first international commercial flight from Toronto to Vermont and the first regularly scheduled international service to BTV in nearly 30 years.
Governor Peter Shumlin, US Consul General Kevin M Johnson and Porter Airlines president and CEO Robert Deluce were present at Heritage Aviation to greet guests of the inaugural flight. Porter’s international service to Vermont is a new, public-private initiative that offers visitors from Canada easy access to Vermont and to some of the state’s best skiing and riding this winter.
‘Vermont’s partnership with Porter is a win-win for Vermont, Ontario, our tourism industry and local ski areas,’ Shumlin said. ‘Porter Airlines’ new service will provide convenient access between Toronto and Vermont and expand two-way trade, investment and tourism to help grow our economy.’

The effort to assist Upper Valley residents as they recover from the devastation left by Tropical Storm Irene has received a big boost. Upper Valley Strong, a collaborative long-term relief effort of approximately 50 local non-profit agencies, churches, schools and governmental bodies that came together to respond to the needs of disaster victims, was recently awarded a combined grant of $75,000 from Granite United Way, the NH Charitable Foundation and The Vermont Community Foundation.
‘The decision to support Upper Valley Strong was an easy one for our volunteers. Granite United Way recognizes the importance of working together, especially when disaster strikes. This collaboration of community leaders has already proven to be a valuable asset for Upper Valley residents working to rebuild,’ said Patrick Tufts, President & CEO, Granite United Way.

The Senate energy committee today passed and sent to the full Senate a bill by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) to lower the cost of solar power and put the United States on track to install 10 million solar systems on homes and businesses by 2020.
The committee voted 13 to 8 in favor of the bill by Sanders and Boozman, the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Green Jobs and New Economy Subcommittee. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, the chairman of the full Energy and Natural Resources Committee, cosponsored their bill.