Current News

The Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday unanimously approved bipartisan legislation to protect American authors, journalists and publishers from foreign libel lawsuits that undermine the First Amendment. The Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage (SPEECH) Act was introduced last month by Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).

On Thursday, July 15 the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will conduct ledge removal that at times will cause delays along Interstate 89 northbound just south of Exit 8 in Montpelier.
VTrans routinely inspects rock ledge that borders Vermont’s Interstate and state roadways. Geologists recently concluded that ledge about a half mile south of Exit 8 along I-89’s northbound barrel is fragile and must be removed before rocks break loose and fall into the roadway.

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced second year funding amounting to $66,678,357 to 183 community groups to provide education and training to young people across the United States. This includes a grant of $283,920 to ReSOURCE: A Nonprofit Community Enterprise (formerly ReCycle) in Burlington, Vt.
The YouthBuild program assists out-of-school youth in obtaining their diplomas or GEDs while providing occupational training in the construction industry. While acquiring leadership skills and participating in community service, at-risk youth build and renovate affordable housing within their communities.

During a visit to a drafty, 19th century building in downtown Barre, Rep. Peter Welch on Tuesday unveiled new legislation to improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings and apartments.
Welch’s proposed Building Star legislation (H.R. 5476) would provide rebates and low-interest loans to business owners and apartment building owners who install energy saving materials and products. The program would create 150,000 jobs by spurring private investment in commercial energy retrofits. It would save business owners $3 billion annually on their energy bills.
‘Building Star will put people to work across the country, taking on our nation’s energy problem directly. At the same time, it will provide crucial support to owners of small businesses and apartment buildings, helping them cut their energy bills,’ Welch said. ‘Building Star will create quality jobs, support small businesses and cut harmful carbon emissions.’

A new rule for protecting archeological and historical sites during development under Act 250 is in place after a legislative panel signed off the changes.
Officials from the Douglas administration said the new rule would maintain the protection of archeological sites while making it easier for applicants to comply with the state’s environmental protection and development control law.
‘This new rule should make the process of applying for an Act 250 permit smoother and more predictable for an applicant under the ‘historic sites’ section of Criterion 8,’ said Tayt Brooks, Commissioner of Economic, Housing and Community Development, including the Division for Historic Preservation.
Under Act 250, the division makes recommendations to the district environmental commissions on whether a proposed development would impact ‘historic sites,’ including archeological sites.

Central Vermont Community Action Council is on track to distribute nearly $5 million in ARRA funds to train Vermonters in solar, wind-power, weatherization, and other green jobs by the end of 2011.
The $4.86 million grant awarded to CVCAC by the US Department of Labor in January, is to coordinate green-job training across the state. CVCAC has created Vermont Green, (Vermont Growing Renewable Energy/Efficiency Employment Network), a statewide partnership to identify, create, and sponsor various training opportunities. The diverse array of partners includes private businesses, education institutions, organizations working directly with job seekers, and local government officials.

The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund has awarded $334,765 in grant funds to develop local biofuels and foster the development of a viable biomass-to-biofuels industry in Vermont that uses local resources to replace petroleum with renewable alternatives.
Ellen Kahler, VSJF Executive Director, stated that the “catastrophe of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is yet another reminder of the consequences of our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels for energy. As the devastating ecological, cultural, and economic consequences of the spill unfold in the Gulf of Mexico, Vermont is continuing to explore opportunities for entrepreneurs, farmers, educators and others to develop renewable, sustainable energy alternatives. “

Attorney General William H Sorrell announced today that his office has completed its review of a special investigation conducted by the Vermont State Police into activities at the Vermont Police Academy in Pittsford, VT, to determine if any criminal misconduct occurred. Suspicion of possible misconduct came to light in late 2009, when certain inappropriate e-mails were discovered on four employees’ work computers. After this discovery, Rutland County Sheriff Stephen Benard, the Chair of the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council, ordered the seizure and examination of the four state-owned computers used by the employees.

The National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR www.napsr.org ), a non-profit organization that serves to promote natural gas and propane safety, will hold its Eastern Regional Meeting in Essex Junction on July 14, 2010. State and federal regulators will be joined by Vermont energy executives to discuss a variety of emerging issues, according to Hans Mertens, Director of Engineering Services at the Vermont Department of Public Service and current NAPSR Chairman.

With the Ethan Allen Farm as a backdrop, US Senators Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy today unveiled legislation to stabilize dairy prices and preserve the family farms that have been a fixture of Vermont culture for centuries.
Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced The Dairy Market Stabilization Act. The bill was cosponsored by Leahy (D-Vt.), the senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who serves in Senate leadership, also is an original cosponsor of the measure.
“Too many farms that have been in the same family for generations already have been forced out of business,” Sanders said at the dairy farm where John and Joyce Belter and their son Todd manage a herd of 450 Holsteins. “This is a crisis not only for our farmers and the communities that depend on them, but for consumers who demand fresh, locally-produced foods for their families.”

The world’s metals industries lost a pioneer in the field of continuous casting and Vermont lost a remarkable engineer and employer with the passing of R William (Bill) Hazelett at age 91, on June 27, 2010. Son of CW Hazelett, the inventor of the twin-belt casting machine, Bill founded the Hazelett Strip-Casting Corporation and commercialized the design. The Hazelett twin-belt caster is employed extensively in nonferrous strip casting and is the heart of the Contirod continuous copper rod casting process used in the production of over 30 percent of the world’s copper wire.

Moody’s Investors Services has announced that it has downgraded the City of Burlington’s general obligation credit rating two notches from Aa3 to A2. Moody’s moved the City’s status from a ‘negative watch’ to ‘negative outlook,’ which means that the credit rating company will not review Burlington’s status until the City next pursues a bond sale. The Moody’s action follows its decision in March of this year to downgrade the City’s credit rating and place Burlington on a 90-day negative watch period. That action resulted in an A2 rating, which was subsequently raised back to Aa3 when Moody’s recalibrated all municipal credit ratings to reflect general improvements in the municipal bond arena.