Current News

The Vermont congressional delegation today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will further postpone a pending reduction in food stamp benefits for 16,000 Vermonters. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) also welcomed the USDA’s assurance that, once the extended waiver expires on April 1, no family will see a benefit reduction of more than $20 per month.
Sanders and Leahy authored a letter signed by 13 other senators asking White House budget director Jacob Lew to reconsider the administration’s plan to cut to nutrition assistance benefits under Vermont’s ‘3SquaresVT’ program. Welch authored a similar letter from members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

ccess Real Time Permits with New Online IFTA/IRP Service at Vermont.gov
MONTPELIER, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles today announces the availability of real-time permits with the release of a new online permitting service for International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) and International Registration Plans (IRP). Available at https://secure.vermont.gov/DMV/irp/ the new online service is an upgrade to the previous paper- and fax-based service.
‘This new process will save time and resources for fleet trucking companies, the DMV, and the taxpayers of Vermont.’

A comprehensive economic analysis is underway in the Northeast Kingdom to
identify potential areas of employment growth and what skills people will
need to fill those jobs.
The study, being conducted by the Northeastern Vermont Development
Association (NVDA) is funded by a federal grant in conjunction with the
Vermont Department of Labor.
‘This study will provide us with solid economic research that will help
us establish priorities for our work in the region,’ said Steve
Patterson, executive director of NVDA.
Dave Snedeker, Planning Manager for NVDA, is heading up the project and
said the study will look at four different areas and:

determine ways that bio-medical companies in the Northeast Kingdom can cooperate for mutual economic benefit and determine whether a formal organization should be established.

Central Vermont Public Service Corporation (NYSE: CV) announced today that it has completed the sale of shares of its common stock under the at-the-market offering program announced on Jan. 15, 2010. The company sold an aggregate of 1,498,745 shares in open market trading and direct placements under this program for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $30.6 million. KeyBanc Capital Markets served as sole placement agent under the at-the-market offering program.
The company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the company's common stock nor shall there be any sale of such common stock in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Central Vermont

Vermont Yankee communications manager Larry Smith issued a statement today indicating that monitoring wells at the nuclear power plant in Vernon show that no new radioactive leaks are occurring at the plant. The statement also indicates that no drinking water wells in the area have been contaminated or are in danger of such from the tritium leaks.

Following announcements by two newly-elected governors that their states no longer intend to use federal high-speed rail funding, thus leaving more than a billion dollars on the table, Vermont’s congressional delegation today called on Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood to reallocate a portion of the funding to Vermont’s proposed Western Corridor project.
While Vermont was successful in securing more than $50 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to improve the southeast-northwest Vermonter line, the proposed Ethan Allen Express Improvements and Extension project was unsuccessful in receiving funding. The project, which would improve passenger rail from Rutland to Burlington, was lauded by the Federal Railroad Administration and scored competitively in the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) application process, but did not receive federal investment due to limited funds.

After 48 hours of tireless around-the-clock work, Central Vermont Public Service utility crews are converging on Addison County and the Jericho/Underhill area to restore power to the last 1,540 CVPS customers. More than 32,000 CVPS customer outages occurred from the massive East Coast storm that brought severe high winds to Vermont Wednesday. Green Mountain Power has restored power to virtually all its customers. But Vermont Electric Cooperative is still digging out and it may be until Saturday before all its customers in its hard-hit region have their power restored.

US Representative Peter Welch voted to extend tax cuts for middle- and lower-income Americans on Thursday, while blasting Republican maneuvers to hold legislative business hostage as the party fights for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
Passed by a vote of 234 to 188, the Middle Class Tax Relief Act (H.R. 4853) would permanently extend tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 for all income below $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for married couples. Without an extension, tax rates would revert to pre-2001 levels on January 1, 2011.
‘Extending tax relief for middle-class Americans will help the economy and help Vermonters struggling to get by. But digging ourselves deeper into debt by borrowing $700 billion to give millionaires and billionaires tax breaks is simply unconscionable,’ Welch said.

Applications are now accepted for the 2011 Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence. Applications due January 5, 2011. You may nominate your organization or another organization or individual.
For more information go to the website:
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/ead/gap/index.htm.
Awards categories:
Pollution Prevention - Projects that reduce or eliminate the generation of
pollutants and wastes at the source.
Resource Conservation - Projects that conserve resources and protect the
environment by minimizing resource consumption by applying the strategies of
reduced consumption, reuse, recycling, and energy efficiency.
Earth Stewardship and Resource Protection - Projects with measurable and
direct benefits to air, soil or water resources protecting ecosystems
including those of fish, wildlife and human communities.

A proposed radioactive waste import/export rule would open Texas up to becoming the nation's radioactive waste dumping ground, according to an anti-nuclear group in Texas, thus allowing waste from around the country to go to Waste Control Specialists' site in Andrews County in West Texas, instead of limiting the site to the Compact states of Texas and Vermont.
"More radioactive waste would mean increased financial, health and environmental risks," said SEED Coalition Director Karen Hadden. "Analysis by nuclear expert Dr. Arjun Makhijani found that if the license was expanded and non-Compact states were allowed in, there could be nineteen times more radioactive waste than originally planned for."

Brattleboro, Vermont-based GS Precision will soon enlarge its manufacturing footprint in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. The company has signed an agreement with the Tucson, Arizona-based Offshore Group to expand the leased space at the Roca Fuerte Industrial Park from its current 17,000 to 36,000 square feet. The more than doubling of production space will eventually result in a proportional increase in the plant's workforce.
According to the company's President, Norm Schneeberger, "This expansion reflects the confidence we have in the leadership and workforce in our Guaymas facility, as well as the Offshore Group's Maquilas Tetakawi, S.A. de C.V. The increase in our manufacturing in Mexico capacity is part of G.S. Precision's overall growth strategy, and will enable us to increase our ability to provide our customers with a lower cost option and expanded services, while continuing to leverage the experience and expertise of our team in Vermont."

CVPS crews restored power to more than 20,000 customer outages yesterday and last night, after strong winds pounded the state Wednesday, knocking out power to more than 29,000 CVPS customers. Wind gusts above hurricane force hit several of the state, as part of a storm that affected much of the East Coast and knocked out the power to tens of thousands of Vermonters.
As of 7:30 am Thursday morning, 9,600 CVPS customers remain without power, the majority in Rutland, Addison, Chittenden and Orange and Windsor counties. CVPS crews and more than 35 outside contract crews will be working through the day today and into this evening to restore power as quickly as is safely possible.