Current News

The Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund Board announced today that the Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF) will award $5.8 million for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects throughout the state.
“The Clean Energy Development Fund is pleased to provide $5.8 million for 147 grants to schools, towns, and cities for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across the state.” said CEDF Board co-chair Sam Swanson. These grants allocate funds received by Vermont under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program and State Energy Program (SEP) from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). “We are excited to put these funds to work helping to stimulate the economy, create jobs and reduce energy costs in Vermont communities,” said Mr. Swanson.

More than $59.6 million in economic development activity throughout Vermont will be generated with the help of $29.7 million in financing approved by the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA). Approved financing will support projects in renewable energy, manufacturing, small business, agriculture, technology, brownfields redevelopment, and private drinking water system upgrades.
“With the help of federal stimulus funds, VEDA is able to offer bond financing assistance to several large-scale initiatives seeking to retain and create Vermont jobs,” said Jo Bradley, VEDA’s Chief Executive Officer. “In addition, several small companies will be able to invest in energy conservation, real estate development, and technology projects to help grow their businesses.”

Following last week's announcement that Vermont Yankee has identified and stopped the source of tritium leakage at the nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vermont Yankee technicians have begun removing tritiated groundwater from beneath the plant site. On Thursday, technicians began pumping groundwater into above-ground containers for processing and reuse in the plant. Also, planning is under way to remove about 150 cubic feet of soil that contains small amounts of other contaminants such as manganese and cobalt. The soil will be disposed of at a federally licensed disposal facility.
With the conclusion of the investigation to identify and stop the source of tritium in the site’s groundwater and the start of longer-term remediation, Entergy has instituted a six-point, fleet-wide initiative to become an industry leader in tritium leak prevention, detection and mitigation.

Perrigo Company (Nasdaq: PRGO;TASE) has announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire PBM Holdings, Inc. (PBM), the leading store-brand infant formula manufacturer, for approximately $808 million in cash. PBM has a manufacturing plant in Georgia, Vermont, where it employees about 300. Employment is not expected to be effected.
Based in Gordonsville, Virginia, privately-held PBM manufactures and distributes over-the-counter (OTC) store brand infant formula and baby foods sold by leading retailers in the mass, club, grocery and drug channels in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China. The acquisition is expected to close in the Company’s fiscal 2010 fourth quarter pending regulatory approval.

The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February 2010 was 6.6 percent, down one tenth of a point from the revised January rate and down one tenth of a point from a year ago.
“Vermont saw modest job growth across a number of sectors in our labor market in February,” said Patricia Moulton Powden, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor. “While this is promising news, we would need to see this pattern continue to determine that employment recovery has begun in the state.”
Seasonal Job Growth

On March 23rd, the Vermont House of Representatives approved a broadly supported bill that would provide free and convenient recycling of electronic waste to residents, charities, schools, and small businesses in the state. S.77, which received tri-partisan support in the House and Senate, now makes its way to the Governor's desk for the final step in the legislative process."This is an incredible victory for consumers," said Charity Carbine, environmental health advocate for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). "Instead of storing old computers in their basements or waiting for once a year collection events, Vermonters will now be able to easily and responsibly recycle their e-waste for free."Unlike traditional recycling programs, S.77 requires electronics manufacturers to share in the cost and responsibility of collecting and recycling their products.

Governor Jim Douglas highlighted three clean air initiatives at his weekly press conference. The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) is undertaking an Outdoor Wood-Fire Boiler (OWB) change out program, a Diesel School Bus Replacement Project and a demonstration project to upgrade diesel engines at sawmills.
“I am proud of the actions we have taken in recent years to improve air quality and protect our environment,” said Governor Douglas. “Although we have among the cleanest air in the nation, we can always do more to reduce emissions. These three initiatives do just that and build on Vermonters long-standing commitment.”

Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) is recognizing 13 regional organizations as ‘Business Leaders for Energy Efficiency’ for their outstanding efforts to advance energy efficiency at the Northeast Energy Efficiency Summit in Boston, MA on March 31. Together, these organizations, including Brattleboro's FiberMark, have achieved a cumulative annual cost savings of over $4.5 million by investing in energy efficiency measures throughout their organization.
The Northeast Business Leaders for Energy Efficiency recognition program highlights the accomplishments of organizations that are participating in energy efficiency programs across the region. This year's honorees, made up of manufacturers, universities, a public authority and one restaurant, were selected for recognition based on their commitment to:

Geoffrey R. Hesslink, Senior Lender and Senior Vice President of Merchants Bank, announced the appointment of Reginald E. Greene to Senior Vice President and Regional Manager of Corporate Banking for Merchants Bank. Reggie’s primary responsibility will be to manage a lending team in the southern region in addition to corporate banking accounts throughout the state.
“As Vermont’s last statewide independent bank, Merchants is well positioned in the marketplace,” stated Hesslink. “We are adding structure and capacity to corporate banking and credit to grow market share and to best serve our customers’ needs. Reggie is a highly experienced and skilled manager and commercial lender. His terrific presence and manner, extensive knowledge and Vermont-based experience will make a strong contribution to our Corporate Banking division.”

A $6,000 donation from KeyBank is going to help the American Red Cross provide emergency services in Haiti and here in Vermont.“Efforts to help feed and shelter the earthquake victims continue, and we’re pleased to be able to support the work of the American Red Cross in Haiti,” said Scott Carpenter, President of KeyBank’s Vermont District. “We also recognize the vital role the Red Cross plays when Vermonters are in their greatest time of need.”“KeyBank represents the very best of corporate citizenship,” said Rob Levine, Regional Red Cross Executive. “Not only have they stepped forward to support relief efforts in Haiti, but they also have a deep appreciation for the work of Red Cross volunteers right here at home. This generous donation to our Heroes Campaign helps assure our local teams are better prepared to respond to fires, floods and other disasters across Vermont,” said Levine.March is Red Cross month.

Central Vermont Public Service is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of someone who cut their way into a Bennington substation and cut out copper ground wire.
"This incident put the culprit, public and CVPS workers in serious jeopardy, and caused thousands of dollars in damage," CVPS spokesman Steve Costello said. "The amount of copper stolen probably wasn’t worth more than $40, but the risk to the public was far greater. Anyone near the substation during a fault could have received a severe electrical shock, as a substation ground grid is critical for return currents and fault dissipation."

The Town of Hartford now has a state-designated Growth Center, a move that will help streamline permitting for future development and pave the way for additional benefits to support development in the town.
The Vermont Downtown Development Board approved the town’s revised Growth Center plan at its meeting on Wednesday after accepting some alterations to address concerns about the boundaries of the district.
“This is a very important step for Hartford,” said Kevin Dorn, Secretary of Commerce and Community Development and chairman of Vermont Downtown Development Board. “It will encourage denser and more mixed use development in appropriate areas, and give the town some valuable tools to aid future growth.”